


Buck Wild

by Lunetta_The_Wind_Godess



Series: Born Free [1]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom Dutch van der Linde, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Male Slash, Multi, Slow Burn, Young Arthur Morgan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 19:55:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18017393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunetta_The_Wind_Godess/pseuds/Lunetta_The_Wind_Godess
Summary: Arthur Morgan was twelve... It didn't take long for destiny to sweep him off his feet literally; in the hands of the early Van Derlinde Gang. He had no idea what kind of life he was going to lead with them, but he knew he had to escape the torment of his old one. He meets many new faces, but the one he wants the most is too dangerous to love. Hosea knows better, but Arthur is too young and naive to ever understand what he's looking for until destiny sinks its Dutch-shaped claws into him.Possible pairings to add; where f*** is Hosea's tags?! Yes, they are shipped here too...





	1. God's Gonna Cut You Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zasa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zasa/gifts).



> For Zaza... you've inspired this whole beginning...

Arthur inhaled sharply as a fist cracked against his malnourished cheek. He sucked in lung-fulls of air as he stumbled across the dirt paved street. He winced and sucked in a pained groan, knew better than to shout or yell…show any sign of physical weakness. His father was beating him again. The only thing that stopped him was his mother, who had died when he was four. He pulled himself up quickly and recovered. He picked up the sacks of maize that he'd left outside the day before, damp with the rain they had that night in Austin. He huffed and lugged the fifty pound sack over his shoulder and crossed the one-horsed wagon. He laid it on the wooden baseboard and waited until he heard faded footsteps before swearing under his breath. He ran a hand over his stomach and let out a soft whimper, fighting the hunger that stung his insides, leaving a dry patch in his throat. He eyed the town in the distance and glanced back at the run-down house before grinning and running off towards the dusty silhouettes of Armadillo. Arthur ducked past a horse, his size helping him more than anything; he wasn't much taller than an Arabian's hindquarters.

Arthur huffed as he ran past the bushes and avoided the lone riders and pairs as he walked. He wiped his brow and sighed in the heat. He stumbled against the edge of the general store and exhaled shakily. He was desperate for water and eyed the store, but he had pick-pocked a man in there a week ago and he was certain the store owner would recognize him right away. He glanced around and saw horses drinking from a water trough. He swallowed his pride and ran over and looked around before dipping his hands in and drinking the muddied water as quickly as he could. The horse beside him looked up, slightly startled. Arthur eyed the horse, white silken coat and pale pink eyes. He'd never seen a horse quite as majestic as this one in his whole life, granted he was only twelve, but he was nonetheless impressed. He huffed and slurped up water before looking around and wiped off his face in the tinged green water. He sighed and sat on the floor beside the horses. A charcoal grey horse with dappled silver spots was beside it. He ignored their grunts of protest as he wiped of his cheeks and drink more water.

"Are you that thirsty, you've resorted to horse water?" A tall, lean, blonde man asked him in a surprisingly soft tone.

Arthur stiffened and looked up completely red-faced and suddenly ashamed of his actions, now that he'd been caught. He was at a loss of what to say to him, too nervous. The man swung his leg effortlessly over the grey mare and stepped closer to him. Arthur had heard of gunslingers before, during tales of youth by his maternal grandfather. He could tell right away that he was. The man had a reserved walk as his spurs clinked as he walked around the horses and stood in front of him. Arthur could see his bandolier and handles of his guns. His heart leapt in his throat as he looked up at him and his vision faded slightly and his heart pounded in his chest.

"Oh come now, you need something to drink…Come on then." The gunslinger smirked softly at him. He blushed and nodded, a stupid vacant expression, but managed to answer without speaking.

"I'm Hosea…Mathews." He added with a soft smile that made Arthur feel insecure about his own.

"A….Arthur…" He mumbled under his breath.

"It's nice to meet you Arthur." Hosea smiled softly again, creating a warm feeling in Arthur he wasn't accustomed to. The man was dangerous, despite his soft slightly tousled platinum blonde hair and light brown eyes, he was a killer. Arthur was nervous, but this man had shown him more kindness already then his own old man. He got up and followed him without question, not caring where they ended up, as long as it was far away from Austin. His hope died quickly as the ,an turned in a familiar direction.

Hosea led him towards the general store; one in fact, he had robbed last week. It wasn't money or anything, but the cheese and bread he'd stolen were so delicious and he'd been full for almost a whole day after eating them. He glanced away from the clerk, but one click of a pistol caught his attention up almost instantly.

"You get outta my shop, boy…thief!" The clerk snapped. Hosea looked at Arthur with a startled glance and back up to the clerk.

"How much?" Hosea calmly stated. The clerk scoffed at him.

"How much did my boy take?" He asked again, eyeing the clerk. He looked dumbfounded as he sneered back at Arthur and slowly set down his pistol.

"Fifteen dollars." He grumbled.

Hosea nodded and pulled enough cash from his pocket than Arthur had seen in his entire life. He licked a gloved thumb and set the amount and more on the counter and grabbed a few items. Arthur huffed and grabbed his hand, desperation and hunger driving him to stay with this almost too-kind stranger. He couldn't believe a man he barely met had paid off months of his desperate thievery. The gunslinger said nothing as they left the shop. Arthur's fingers squeezed tighter than necessary, but he was scared to leave him. Hosea stepped off the stairs and walked across the poorly paved walkway and sat on a rock beside a hitching post. He handed Arthur a bread roll and three slabs of salted beef.

Arthur inhaled sharply and tore open the packages and ate them quickly. His face lit up and he muffled a sob as he kept eating. Nothing had ever tasted so good in his life than this, at least since eight years ago.

"You'll choke if you eat too fast." Hosea tugged his hand down from his mouth.

"I…sorry." Arthur huffed softly. A cold bottle was pressed to his hand. Arthur looked at the bottle, but he couldn't read what it said, but he sniffed it and it smelled sweet. He tipped it slowly to his chapped lips and took a long heavy drink from it. He coughed. It was sweeter than anything he'd ever had before and it burned, but in a good way.

"You never had a root beer before?" Hosea chuckled as he lit a cigarette and eyed him. Arthur shook his head and took another long drawl, not coughing this time. Rainbow prickles of light tugged at his vision as he almost dropped it and exhaled deeply. He took slower bites of the bread and salted beef in slower bites, eyeing the man for approval, but his gaze was in a different direction. He looked down at the beef and savored the flavors. He hadn’t eaten in three days and it tasted like heaven.

"That good huh?" Hosea grinned, all teeth neat and perfect.

Arthur grinned boyishly and muffled a yes, covering his mouth and grinned. Hosea got up and ruffled a hand through Arthur's dark brown hair that was slightly blonde when the sun hit it just right. He hugged the half empty bottle and stood up, eager to follow him until another man stepped up towards them. Arthur couldn't help but draw back slightly.

"What are you doing?" His deep voice rang out, a complete shock to Arthur. He hadn't heard a voice like that before, only in theatre films he'd never been to see, but he heard people along the streets talk about. The man's dark brown eyes slowly took in his features and Arthur suddenly found himself blushing and self-conscious.

Like he'd been able to stare into his very soul.

"Dutch, this is Arthur." Hosea smirked at the stoic man with dark hair. Arthur could only stare. This man was enigmatic and powerful. Arthur had a sense that he'd die easily at the hands of this man if he were to cross him. Somehow, he reeked of danger…

"Arthur!!!" He heard a familiar voice shout. He winced outwardly as his father's hand snagged up his arm too roughly, knowing that he'd be bruised again. Hosea's features shifted to surprise, but he hadn't moved, knowing it wasn't exactly his place to say anything. Arthur drew back and followed obediently. Dutch's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the strange kid leave in the wagon filled with hay.

"What do you think?" Hosea looked up at Dutch. His leader lit a cigarette and raised a brow.

"I think you and I have a bank to rob." He smirked softly.

*************************************************************

 

Arthur frowned as he hauled the bales of hay across the floor. He waited until his father was out of sight before he smashed half of one against the ground. He huffed and dropped to the floor and kicked angrily at the destroyed bale. He knew his father was using him. Never loved him. He knew what love was, just hadn't experienced it until earlier that day with the stranger named Hosea.

He sucked in a sob, knowing exactly what it should've been like, but never was. He stifled his tears and wipes his cheeks angrily. He walked outside and looked up at the sky and saw incoming storm clouds looming ominously over Austin. He sucked in a breath and watched as the dark clouds consumed the view of the stars quickly. He looked East and saw orange patches of star dust slowly filter out from the blackened sky. Thunder cracked and rumbled heavily across the vast open skies, shaking into him enough to raise his pulse.

He heard another crack of lighting and thunder, too close…it made his ears ring. He looked around the houses, bundled up tight for shelter from the storm. He covered his arms and shivered slightly. He loved the storms in the West. They were powerful, angry, almost like him…if only he could muster the same amount of strength. He heard another crackle of thunder, much too close and too loud, he thought. Reminding him of his father's rifle he kept above the fireplace. He gasped as he heard another crack, definitely gunfire.

He stiffened and bolted running for the house, but thundering hooves approached the house too quickly. He could hear inaudible shouts and he back backward from a plethora of lawmen aimlessly shooting. He sucked in a breath as horses trampled through what little crops they had. His face paled as the harvest got destroyed by fire as glass shattered across it, igniting his father's life's work.

Arthur smiled, somehow the pain his father felt suddenly filled him with more joy than he'd felt eight years ago. As if suddenly aware of the danger he was in, he shot up quickly and ran, trying to shake the excitement he suddenly felt. He inhaled sharply and bolted through the fiery edge of the field before it turned completely ablaze. He huffed and stumbled across the porch until the rifle barrel of his father's gun was pointed at his head.

"What did you do?!" His father's voice rang in his ears. It wasn't his fault. Lawmen and gunslingers had passed through and fought, but never on his father's farm. How could it possibly have been his fault!!!

 _Would he really do it?!!_ Arthur thought.

He didn't have time to think as the back of his father's head splashed out red and Arthur went numb. He gasped as blood sprayed across his cheek and he was jerked roughly upward and jarred hard. He swayed slightly while a thick arm held him tightly against warmth and hooves thundered in his ears. He exhaled shakily and gave in to the silky blackness that surrounded his conciseness.

 


	2. Of Frogs and Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur learns a valuable lesson...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some got the wrong idea from the tags, my apologies. I saw my mess up and I fixed it. The underage tag was geared more towards fluff, not...other things. I would never do that to my baby Arthur! Have some faith you guys. I take all criticism seriously, even if it's negative...Hope you enjoyed this so far. I'll be updating often.

Hosea sat on Silver Dollar and sighed.

"There were a lot more ways that could've gone." He tossed a cigarette butt on the floor and looked over at his friend.

"I know…" Dutch shrugged and looked down at the kid. He looked almost sickly.

"Poor boy, I knew he didn't need to stay there anymore." Dutch cradled him close, bundled in his fluffy warm coat.

"But did you have to kill him?" Hosea argued.

"He would've easily done the same to either of us and you know it." Dutch scoffed. He tugged off the bedroll and started setting up the tent.

"Probably even Arthur." Hosea added, eyeing the bruises on his arms.

"That his name?" Dutch looked over at the kid, intrigued why Hosea had been so nice to him, but Dutch felt something far deeper when he looked at him. Maybe it was destiny, he wasn't sure, but he knew Arthur belonged with them. He could feel it in his veins. Dutch took out his knife and started cooking over the fire Hosea had started. A muffled groan caused Dutch to look up.

"Come, sit." Dutch motioned Arthur over. The kid eased himself off the floor, but kept the black fur coat draped over his shoulders. He sat down beside Dutch and smiled slightly as he took the offered food from him.

"Thank you." Arthur murmured, uncertain quite exactly what to say. It was as if his entire life hit the reset button. He was now a blank canvas, ready for something new.

"Hey there." Hosea smiled as he sat cross-legged beside him.

"You okay?" He looked questioningly at Arthur.

Arthur wasn't sure exactly what to say; he had heard them quarreling, but didn't say anything because he was too nervous to intervene.

"I'm not mad that you killed him." He spoke flatly, but it was sincere. He never loved his father.

"Good." was all Dutch said.

"You're welcome to stay with us, if you want." Hosea smiled.

"I…don't really have anywhere else to go." Arthur flushed slightly.

Dutch laughed richly, causing the other two to look up.

"You'll learn…." He smirked and handed the knife to Arthur and went to the closed up tent. Arthur held the heavy metal blade in his hands and stared at it.

"I….is this for me?" Arthur looked up, but Dutch had already gone. A smirking Hosea nodded and started putting up a second tent.

"Now, you sleep here, I'll be right over there with Dutch, okay?" Hosea smiled softly. Arthur got up and took the bowl of meat and carefully tucked himself under the bedroll and ate slowly, enjoying every bite. He heard footsteps slowly recede and peeked outside. He could see their casted shadows in the tent from the lantern. They were both sitting and talking in hushed tones. Arthur grinned and looked up at the stars, he felt as free as the sky. He beamed excitedly and couldn't sleep a wink. He looked around the tent and found huckleberries that were stashed in a small basket. He sighed softly and laid on the bed roll and carefully pulled out the knife and looked at it under the lantern light. He ran a finger across the spiraled paisley engraving on the blackened blade. This was definitely an expensive gift he hadn’t expected. He turned over and laid it beside him just under the bedroll, in case he possibly needed it and closed his eyes.  

 

*******************************************************************

Dutch rubbed his temples and sighed, glancing over at Hosea, leaning on his tucked in arm and sleeping. He eased carefully from the tent and lit a cigar, eyeing the shifting colors of the sky. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do with this kid, but Hosea had taken him in and they grew up together after his own mother had passed. He was too devastated from losing her. Ostracized from the townsfolk over his mother's irrational behavior. She wasn't quite in the right mindset as she got closer to the end. He exhaled a breath of smoke and looked to his left, eyeing Arthur trying to sneak through the makeshift camp. Dutch rubbed his cheek with his thumb and grinned.

"I see you." He whispered, but it was loud enough for him to turn around and look up red-faced. Dutch motioned him closer.

"Can't sleep?" He fanned away smoke and nudged his foot with his heel. Arthur sighed and nodded.

"Come on then." Dutch turned and started walking through the trees. Arthur grinned excitedly and practically chased after him. Dutch rumbled a soft laugh as he turned and watched him.

"Still got that knife?" Dutch asked.

"Yeah!" Arthur waved it excitedly as him.

"Easy…" Dutch gently put his arm down.

"You hold it like this." He took out another knife similar to Arthur's and angled his wrist up slightly. Arthur mirrored his movement and tilted his wrist just so.

"Good, now go get that frog." Dutch nodded towards the left.

"A frog?" Arthur huffed, sounding annoyed at him.

"What? Not good enough for you tough kid?" Dutch chuckled.

"It's harder than it looks, go on now." He smirked. Arthur almost pouted as he stomped over towards the frog and stabbed at it.

"Hey!" Arthur huffed as it hopped past his hand. His eyes narrowed as he chased it across the soft squishy earth.

Dutch snorted a chuckle as Hosea stepped beside him, head tilted.

"Really Dutch?" Hosea frowned, but there was amusement in his soft brown eyes.

"I just wanna see if he can do it." Dutch grinned almost evilly. Hosea rolled his eyes and couldn't hide his grin either as Arthur dove after the frog.

"God, he sure is trying ain't he?" Dutch said almost proudly. They watched as Arthur ran up to them, slathered in mud as he gently plopped half of a frog in Dutch's hand.

"Well, you did ask for it." Hosea smirked. Dutch smirked wryly and nodded at Arthur.

"I did it." Arthur huffed and smiled. Half his face was caked with mud and bits of grass.

"You certainly did." Dutch agreed and turned back towards their makeshift camp. He tossed the frog on the floor and kept walking. Hosea kept in pace with Arthur as they followed him. Dutch stood at the fire and handed a lit cigarette to Arthur.

"Dutch…" Hosea sighed and frowned at him. Arthur took it and sucked hard on the end of the cigarette and coughed hard. It tasted bitter and horrible. The smoke stung the back of his throat and his lungs. He tossed it down in the fire without thinking and made a sour face.

"That's awful!" Arthur huffed and wiped his mouth on his sleeve and shuddered.

"I know…" Dutch patted his shoulder and ruffled his hair.

"Come on…let's get some sleep before sunrise." He headed towards the tent. Arthur followed him and stopped as Dutch came out with clean shirt and a pair of worn jeans.

"I…thanks." Arthur smiled and tugged his shirt off quickly, wiping his face off with the inside of it.

"Jesus kid, we need to get some meat on them bones, hmm?" Dutch smiled, but the blush on Arthur's face let him know he wasn't exactly happy with how he looked.

"Don't worry Arthur." Hosea picked up the dirty ruined clothes and tossed them in the fire.

"You'll fill out I'm sure. Didn't take Dutch very long either." Hosea chuckled. Dutch swatted back the tent flap and crouched into his tent. Hosea helped fix the collar of Arthur's new shirt and eyed him.

"You look great, don't even worry about it." He smiled at him.

"I…okay." Arthur flushed slightly as he tucked in the too-big shirt.

"Dutch was smaller than you when I found him." Hosea tried encouraging him. Arthur nodded and started following Hosea. The blonde turned back and saw Arthur following him.

"Well, come on then." He opened the tent flap and Arthur ducked inside. He could see Dutch laying back and reading a book. Arthur sat beside him, curious eyes darting from the page and Dutch's mouth moving. A secret language he wanted to know about. Dutch turned and angled the book towards him so he could see it. Arthur stared at the odd intricate little symbols on the pages. They fascinated him, but he didn't understand any of it.

"I….I don't know how to read." Arthur admitted as Hosea shifted to a more comfortable position beside him.

"In the end, what has a man but his thoughts? That is the preserve of spirits, of the go." Dutch started aloud. Arthur grinned excitedly and curled a little closer to him.

"A place where mankind has given up half his freedom…" He explained to Arthur.

"Mankind is led by desire into a pig pen, to his own slaughter." Dutch turned and looked at Arthur, curious what his reaction would be.

"So…desire…what someone wants, pretty much leads them to their own ruin?" Arthur eyed him, hoping that his understanding had been correct.

"Good boy." Dutch chided and thumbed across the red cover of the book. Arthur stared at it. The letters looked powerful by the way they looked slightly torn.

"Inferno." Dutch answered him,

"The title." He added. He kept reading to him in slow deliberate sentences. He thumbed through pages of text, delighted in what an interest Arthur had in books. Education was something Dutch took pride in, but the power and drive that Evelyn Miller spoke of had so much meaning to him. He felt as if the West had started to fade and he wanted to keep is preserved and untouched as it was supposed to be. He stopped mid sentence and looked down to see Arthur nestled against his side and asleep. Dutch looked up and saw Hosea on his side, asleep as well. He smiled and gently brushed off stray hairs on Arthur's forehead. He felt overly protective of the kid. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he had fire in him that burned as bright as Dutch's. He sighed and gently tucked the book away and decided not to move his arm since Arthur's head was against it. He knew it'd feel horrible in the morning, but he didn't have the heart to wake him up. He planned on going to Black water once they packed up to get Arthur clothes that fit him better and a decent pair of boots. He turned out the lantern and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where my gamers at? I got Dutch Van Derlinde as my online character y'all. I would love to meet you guys xD


	3. The Lawlessness of Delivery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur helps work his first job with the gang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Online play...if you've played it, then you know how it goes! Got to play with some of my readers online and had a blast. Let me know if any of you guys wanna game. It helped fuel part of this chapter and a few others.

Arthur buried his face against the warmth. He yawned and smelled tobacco and gunpowder. It was comforting as he rubbed his cheek and sighed softly. A slight chuckle woke him as he blushed and looked over to see Hosea grinning at him.

"Oh, sorry." Arthur muttered as he sat up quickly, hoping he didn't think was stepping any boundaries since they'd met the day before.

"Don't worry about it." Hosea pursed his lips and held out a hand and pulled him up.

"He takes forever to wake up if I don't kick him every now and then." Hosea feigned covering his ears.

Arthur laughed…hard. He felt Dutch's snores were comforting rather disruptive. He secretly enjoyed them, but decided to keep it to himself. He thumbed the knife in his pocket and sat with Hosea while he made him quail eggs and game meat.

"Gotta start feeding you well kid." He grinned as he handed a heaping plateful. Arthur flushed slightly, still amazed with his kindness. He smirked and started eating.

"So, you know how to shoot?" Hosea asked him as he scraped a spoon across his bowl.

"I umm…no, my Pa never taught me. Didn't think I'd amount to much of anything really, other than being a servant." He sighed and chewed thoughtfully.

"Well, you're with us now, and even though you're young…you gotta learn to shoot." Hosea pointed his spoon at him.

"Alright." He grinned excitedly. He ate faster, hoping it would be soon.

"Do I get to have a gun?" His voiced squeaked slightly then more excited he got, which he hated, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"You can have one of mine… after I show you how to hold it properly and aim. It's not a point and shoot thing either. You have to build up strength before you're able to handle that kind of strain." Hosea spoke as he set up a plate for Dutch.

"Go get him will you?" He nodded towards the tent. Arthur set down his empty bowl and eyed the tent and smirked. He crouched low and peeked over at Hosea, stifling a grin and he motioned with a hand to keep going. Arthur  carefully slid into the tent and leapt on top of Dutch with an excited shout.

"Ahh! Shit…" Dutch grunted and pulled inward, hugging his injured side and swatted at Arthur. He rose and chased him from the tent and laughed. Arthur shrieked and laughed as he bolted across the meadow. Dutch huffed and leaned on his knees and held up a hand.

"You win…and I'm not fast enough to catch ya." He sighed and laid across the bedroll and started eating. Arthur grinned out of breath and plopped beside him. Dutch held out bacon at Arthur and smirked at him.

"I…haven't this much food…probably my whole life." Arthur admitted as he chewed the pork slowly.

"Well, that's our last piece of bacon." Dutch frowned, making Arthur nervous. Hosea rolled his eyes  and tossed a forkful of egg at him. Dutch gasped and turned and tackled Hosea with a laugh. Arthur grinned ear to ear, watching them. He knew they were grown-ups, but they certainly hadn't acted like them…most of the time. Hosea rolled over Dutch and yanked his bandana down, causing him to stumble.

"Ha!" Hosea chuckled and sat back down at his post.

"Asshole…" Dutch sighed and sat beside Arthur and finished his meal. He slowly picked the egg of his vest and ate it.

"Let's get camp packed up and head over to town soon." Dutch yawned and washed his face in the small basin. Arthur gathered up the bedroll and started folding it and rolling it up. Hosea and Dutch watched him with appreciative smiles. All three worked in unison as they gathered up the supplies and packed up. Arthur did everything he was asked. Dishes were clean and put away and he started kicked dust and rocks over the fire, smoldering it out.

"You don't want to put your foot in and catch yourself on fire." Dutch eyed him as the kid shuffled his foot towards the fire from a side step. Arthur looked up as Dutch waved him over and climbed on his horse.

"Arthur…This is The Count." He smirked and patted the horse's neck. Arthur grinned excitedly and patted him and felt the soft underside of his muzzle. It was velvet smooth with almost wire-like whiskers that stuck out. The horse's pale eyes captivated him. He grinned and ran his fingers down the horse's chin. Dutch held out a hand for him and eased him in the saddle in front of him. Arthur grinned and looked at Hosea and he was smiling too.

"This is amazing." He grinned and ran his hands over the black and tan saddle and the horn.

"Good, you just hold it there when we get going." Dutch patted his shoulder and handed him the reins.

"What? No!" Arthur huffed and pushed the reins in Dutch's hands nervously.

"What, too scared?" Dutch chuckled as Arthur grabbed the horn of the saddle and tensed slightly.

"I know I can't ride a horse." the kid answered quickly with a tone that made Dutch raise a brow.

"Hyah!" Dutch snapped the reins and The Count lunged forward and bolted across the meadow, causing Arthur to smack against Dutch's chest. He could hear Hosea laughing hysterically behind them.

"Ahh!" Arthur tensed and tried to steady himself.

"Keep you back straight, like your proud." Dutch leaned against his ear. Arthur made a point of sitting straighter and felt his sides and stomach tug almost painfully against his muscles.

"D…damn…this is hard." Arthur huffed. Dutch veered The Count up the hill and slowed their pace enough for Arthur to gather his bearings.

"You'll get stronger the more you do it." Dutch eased the reins in Arthurs shaking hands.

"It's alright…just pull on the left if you want to go that way." Arthur tugged the rein and the Albino whinnied and jerked left in a tight circle.

"Easy…just jingle the rein, don't yank it or he'll buck us o-" Dutch tensed against him and Arthur felt himself jerk back and fall against him. He watched as Dutch's gloved fingers eased the horse down carefully. Arthur panted and looked over his shoulder at Dutch with a pleading sad look.

"You survived." Dutch playfully swatted his cheek and set Arthur against his lap and steered the horse along towards Hosea and Silver Dollar. Arthur beamed at him as they headed off the trail. He bounced slightly as straighten himself out, but not too tense, like he was taught. He closed his eyes as felt the thudding hoof-beats against the ground. He could feet The Count's pulse thudding against his ankles. This creature was a beast, and powerful. He gasped as he opened his eyes and saw rolling dark clouds billowing across the sky.

"Looks like it's gonna come down." Hosea clicked his heels against his mare's sides and picked up speed as they headed to a town called Strawberry. Arthur thought it was a little strange for a town to be named after a fruit, but it was pretty town. He watched a golden eagle fly over them slowly. He smirked at it. Felt as free as it was now that he'd found a home….a real one without walls, but it was everything to him.

"Here…" Dutch eased him down off the horse as they came to a stop and he hitched the stallion to a post and easily landed beside him. He ruffled his hair and brushed it back a little.

"There…" Dutch grinned at him as Arthur stumbled a little, not used to riding.

"My legs hurt and I…" Arthur grabbed Dutch's arm and he chuckled.

"I know." Dutch used his arm as a crutch to help him steady his legs.

"You got it." Hosea smirked. They walked through the cobblestone road and Dutch held open the general store door for him. He stepped in and eyed everything. This place had so much more than Armadillo. He eyed the shirts and Hosea pointed at a soft blue one with subtle stripes on it. Arthur liked it already and nodded.

"It's not that much." Hosea smirked as he set the shirt on the counter and picked out a pair of padded ranch jeans.

"That's good." Arthur was happy and excited about it. It felt like his birthday, he was getting gifts. Dutch covered Arthur's eyes for a moment and pointed to a pair of Western boots with a high price tag. Arthur couldn't see past Dutch's fingers and tried to peek, but Dutch lifted his hand away and flipped the page of the catalog before Arthur could protest. Hosea gathered up the new clothes and herded Arthur to the wardrobe and handed him the clothes.

Dutch eyed the shelves of candies and stepped along the shelves of treats and smirked. Arthur tugged on the blue shirt and looked at his thin frame. He hated how he looked. His face heated up slightly as he stepped into the jeans and eased his feet into the boots. They fit like glove…

He grinned. He looked almost like a cowboy. He loved it. He eyed his reflection and checked to make sure his shirt was tucked in the whole way around. He turned and opened the door and looked at Hosea and Dutch with a blushing grin.

"Awww…he's our little cowboy." Hosea beamed.

"Not yet." Dutch smirked and took his hat off and set it on Arthur's head. He huffed and lifted it up and laughed.

"Now he is." Dutch smirked as he took a black Stetson hat off the top shelf and handed the clerk a handful of bills for the clothes they bought…including the hat. Dutch nudged Arthur out the door and almost ran across the street. Arthur grinned and chased after him. Hosea ate canned salmon as they all made it to the other side as a wagon eased past them.

"Dutch!" Hosea narrowed his eyes as the dark haired man grinned and bit into a chocolate bar. He thrust a piece of it in Arthur's hand and he shoved it in his mouth before Hosea noticed.

"It just tastes better when it's stolen." Dutch laughed. He handed a piece to Hosea and he took a square and ate it.

"Yeah." Hosea smirked. Arthur stared down at his boots as he walked along beside them. He couldn't stop smiling either.

"You wanna deliver some mail?" Dutch lit a cigarette and kept walking towards the hitched horses.

"What could go wrong?" Hosea shrugged. Dutch snorted and tossed it down and climbed onto the Count. He lifted Arthur with one arm and lugged him onto the saddle in front. He took Arthur's hands and placed them on the reins, but pushed his towards the center and held the outer edge, allowing Arthur lead, but Dutch could easily shift control.

"Let's go boy." He chided and tapped The Count's sides with his heels. Arthur tugged softly left, leading the steed towards the post office. Dutch leaned an arm against his side to help keep posture.

"Alright.." Dutch nodded as Hosea stepped down and talked to Hector, the postal clerk. He headed back with three saddle bags and tossed two up to Dutch and set the third on his shoulder and mounted Silver Dollar again.

"Y'all ready?" Hosea snapped the reins and they all set out. Dutch slipped a bag across Arthur's shoulders and carried his own across his chest. They galloped through West Elizabeth and headed Southwest towards Rhodes. They sauntered along. Arthur admired the fields of raspberries and blackberries, they were scattered all over, with wild flowers in between. He looked up and saw a red tailed hawk soar above them. Everything around this place was lush and beautiful. He could get used to this kind of life. He smiled to himself and looked down at some of the addresses on the envelopes and frowned. He wasn't sure exactly where they went, but he know Dutch would teach him when they had the time.

Just then, a shot rang out. Arthur froze as Dutch clenched his fist around his hand and jerked the reins forward, causing The Count to bolt faster.

"You just hold that mail, boy." Dutch flicked out a black Schofield and aimed behind him and fired. The gunshot rang in Arthur's ears. His pulse raced against his whole face as he dared to look back.

"It's the goddamn Bell family!" Dutch growled. Hosea shot off to the right as they gunned it down the unpaved path.

"You rang?" He could hear loud boyish shout behind them. Hosea rolled his eyes at the remark. Arthur risked a glance over Dutch's shoulder and saw a boy, not much older than him, riding a dark horse behind who was presumably his father and a couple others he didn't know.

"Hey!" Dutch jerked his face forward by his bandana and hissed as a bullet echoed past them. Arthur winced slightly and hugged the mail bags against his chest as they thundered through a wide thicket of trees. Dutch handed the first bag of letters to the first recipient without stopping. He slowed The Count and eased back on the reins as Arthur handed Hosea the second bag and he tossed it to the man in front of the barn. Arthur stepped off as he ran across the ranch farm and handed the last package to the very last recipient and sighed in relief as he handed him the money. He looked at the numbers and was able to figure out it was almost twenty dollars. He grinned at it and looked up and inhaled sharply as he collided across the floor with the kid he saw earlier.

"Bitch!" He shouted and Arthur felt a punch to his right cheek and gasped in pain. Heat flared through him as he lashed back with a punch right at the kid's nose. He was bigger and stronger than Arthur, and there wasn't a lot he could do about it, but Arthur was trying. He fumbled for the knife in his pocket and heard a gun cock above him and froze.

"Step away from him, son." Dutch whispered dangerously and nodded with the barrel of his gun at him. Micah huffed slightly and pulled back and held his hands up. Arthur could see he didn't have holster or a gun, he was thankful for that. His eyes were a startling shade of barely blue. He was smart and knew when to stop. The boy did what he was told and turned and ran in the opposite direction he came from. Dutch pulled Arthur up and hugged him against his chest. Arthur closed his eyes and breathed in his comforting scent and shook with soft sobs escaping his trembling frame.

"It's okay Arthur." Dutch ran a soothing hand against his back and settled the hat back on his head.

"I'm sorry Dutch." He muffled and dragged tears across Dutch's shirt.

"Nothing happened and you're okay." He smiled and thumbed his cheek. Arthur sniffed and wiped his face off with his sleeve and followed Dutch as he eyed him and grinned.

"Gonna have a shiner on that cheek kid." He chuckled as Arthur carefully ran a hand along his cheek and felt the stinging soreness. He sighed and relaxed against Dutch on the horse as they headed up towards the wilderness to set up camp.

Hosea laid out blankets as Dutch helped Arthur get the fire started.

"You just start a match on your heel…" Dutch swiped the tip of it on his boot while Arthur stared, transfixed and delighted.

"Here…" He handed him a match and Arthur snapped the match in half by accident.

"Keep trying." Dutch handed him three more. Arthur kept trying until the last one finally lit and he laughed and held it for so long that it burned his fingers.

"Let's go get some food." Dutch tugged Arthur along and he chased after him across the small shrub bushes. Arthur smacked face first into Dutch's back as he stilled. He shushed him and turned, handing Arthur a low caliber rifle. he stood beside him, putting his hands in the right places.

"It won't give too much, so you should be fine." Dutch steadied his arm and tilted the rifle at the rabbit. Arthur exhaled deeply and eyed a pronghorn standing in the brush a few feet farther. He turned the barrel and pulled the trigger.

_Bang!_

The shot radiated through Arthur's whole body as he took off and ran towards the downed animal. His grin faded quickly as he saw it struggling on the ground. The noise it made was horrible and saddening. His face paled as looked up at Dutch. The older man leaned down and stuck a knife right between its front legs in the chest, before Arthur could protest.

"When you have a low caliber, don't use it for big game or you won't have a clean kill." Dutch lugged the buck over his shoulder as Arthur followed.

"Think of it more as a merciful way to go." Dutch turned and handed him the buck. He grunted and struggled slightly as he carried it.

"There, toughen you up a bit, kid." Dutch chided as they caught a couple rabbits and a squirrel. They headed back to camp and Hosea taught Arthur how to skin the smaller animals and worked n unison on the buck. Arthur made a few faces throughout the process, but after the second rabbit, he was able to work faster and he got to use his new knife.

"There you go." Hosea handed him a cup of coffee and cooked rabbit with oregano. It was delicious. He'd never hunted his own food before, but there was something exciting and liberating about it. He started to catch on and figured out which guns would work for which animals. Birds, rabbits, and even owls were small, which required the varmint rifle. Dutch handed him a small leather bound green book.

"We'll start writing and reading first thing in the morning." Dutch smiled.

"You do well with that, then I will teach you how to shoot properly." Hosea eyed Dutch when he spoke, causing a rise out of him.

"Hey!" Dutch swatted Hosea's leg as he pulled it away, but not fast enough. Arthur grinned and thumbed the journal fondly. He couldn't wait to fill the book with all kinds of words and stories. The other two had started cleaning up around camp and got the tents ready. Arthur thumbed the pencil and started moving it across the paper. He wasn't exactly sure what he was making until features started to fill the page. He looked down at it and it slowly started to turn into a picture of Dutch. He grinned as he started to draw Hosea beside him. They looked serious, but Arthur knew better. He scrawled out rabbits and a hawk. He yawned and closed it and got up. He grinned when he saw just one tent pitched, but it was bigger. Hosea put out the fire as headed in the tent behind him. Arthur nestled himself right in the middle and grinned as Dutch read to him to sleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the lovely comments so far, them warm my soul! :D


	4. What Have You Done...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur makes a choice that changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for you Kimmi!!!! *screams and points*

Arthur pulled himself up and ran from the tent as quietly as he could and found the nearest tree to relieve himself. He yawned and glanced to his left and saw Hosea doing the same thing. He gasped and hid behind his own tree, but not before he caught a glance of him. He didn't look the same quite yet, but it wasn't progressing as quickly as Arthur would have liked. He tried playing it cool and dipped his hands in the river and eyed the camp, too nervous to exactly look Hosea in the eye after that. He found different things to keep himself preoccupied as Dutch emerged from the tent a half hour later, book in hand. Arthur washed one of Dutch's shirts as he laid it across the rope, hung precariously between the two tents.

"Thought we'd get a head start." Dutch smirked and waved the book at Arthur, who was grinning. He crossed his legs and sat beside Dutch and looked at each letter, what Dutch called them, and nodded. He tried listening as best he could, but he kept getting distracted and couldn't remember if he knew all the vowels. Dutch snapped his fingers, keeping him aware.

"I know the alphabet." Arthur huffed.

"What letter is that?" Dutch pointed.

"W…" Arthur looked up and grinned,

"Wind." He grinned and read the word; it was slow and enunciated, but he must've said it correctly by the way Dutch's brows lifted.

"Alright kid…" Dutch smiled and pointed to more of them. Arthur read like a little kid, but he was actually doing it. His mother would've been proud, she must be…somewhere in sky…she was. He held the book in his lap and kept reading aloud as Dutch prepared breakfast, which varied by day given their location.

"You outta start writing too, with that book. If you want to." Dutch patted him. Hosea handed him his journal on his leg along with a plate of venison. Arthur ate quickly and studied the book. He was starting to figure out what it was about, but the point of the book was more vague than he thought. It wasn't straightforward at all.

"Do you think we can pick up some books in the next town?" Arthur looked up at them. Maybe Hosea didn’t catch him staring.

"Sure, why not?" Hosea smiled, but the red on his face already answered Arthur's question. His own face went scarlet before he could stop it. He could feel the heat ignite over his face and even his ears as he got up quickly and went to his tent to get ready.

"What's gotten into him?" Dutch looked over at Hosea.

"He saw me…with my pants down, by the tree." Hosea added.

"What?!" Dutch laughed richly.

"I was not doing _that_ if that's what you thought." Hosea swatted at him.

"You don't think he does?" Dutch raised a brow as his finished his plate.

"No, he's still innocent." Hosea snatched Dutch's bowl away and stashed it with the others to wash.

"Come on…I mean I did." Dutch nudged him.

"Still do." Hosea corrected him.

"I was liked what…eleven when it started?" Dutch chuckled. Hosea shook his head in dismay and cleaned up.

"Hurry up." Hosea nudged him. Dutch tugged off his shirt and grabbed a new one from the tent. Arthur looked up from packing his supplies and grinned at him.

"It's not really that bad." Dutch whispered.

"I've seen him naked before too, like completely." He chuckled, getting a laugh out of Arthur.

"If you don't bring it up, he won't either. Don't let it bother you too much." Dutch tried to put him at ease.

"But I don't look like that." Arthur chided.

"Just…umm." Dutch's face heated up a little.

"Give yourself more time. Don't be in a rush to get older." Dutch sighed as he adjusted the strap on a worn down satchel.

"Okay." Arthur chewed his lip as he adjusted his boots.

"You'll be an adult for the rest of your life. Enjoy being young and…" Dutch hummed.

"Free?" Arthur raised a brow.

"Yeah." Dutch grinned and helped him up. Arthur eagerly followed him to the horses as Hosea unhitched them. Arthur climbed on The Count with Dutch behind him. He took the reins with purpose this time. He tugged them carefully, allowing The Count to canter to a steady gallop as he followed the Eastward direction with Hosea.

"You're getting the hang of this kid." Dutch commented as they headed up over the hill. Arthur could see pronghorn and whitetail everywhere. He could hear a loud bang around him, wincing slightly, but the ring never quite left his ears as Hosea hopped off his horse to skin the buck.

"A perfect pelt." Hosea nodded and slapped it across the back of his horse.

"Is that how we make money?" Arthur looked over his shoulder.

"Hahaha….sometimes." Dutch ruffled his hair. Arthur's brows furrowed as the next town came into view.

"Blackwater?" He looked around it. It was almost perfect, with the right places and hunting grounds all around it. Arthur wanted to use a gun so badly. He'd been good at reading and writing some of the letters he learned, hopefully Dutch would let him. He steered The Count hopefully. Dutch nodded towards the butcher as they stopped. He listened as Dutch taught him how to do the right knot for the hitch, which allowed the horse to stay put, but it also allowed for a hasty retreat if the need occurred. It was brilliant.

"We're going to Rhodes after this." Dutch swatted Hosea's arm playfully.

"What, why?" Hosea's toned dropped, clearly not fond of the place from Arthur's observations.

"Fishin'" Dutch shrugged and Hosea rolled his eyes.

"Fishing?" Arthur grinned excitedly and followed them to the next general store. He was excited. An easy way to build up his own strength and even use it to make some money. He'd get so much…for them, to prove himself. He was beaming. Hosea dropped down a stack of bills as he took a fishing pole off the counter and folded it up, handing it to Arthur with a soft smile.

"Thank you!" He chided excitedly. It took all his willpower to not say yay. Dutch grinned as he bought different baits and lures from the shop. Arthur could see him swipe a bag of candies off the shelf discreetly. He almost wasn't paying attention, but he could see his gaze hover discreetly towards the clerk while he did the deed. Arthur couldn't hide his grin as Dutch almost shoved him towards the door as they left, grinning from ear to ear.

"Dutch!" Hosea frowned and swatted his back as a purple candy flew across the floor, sticking to the pebbled pavement. Dutch's dark eyes met his with fury as the wasted sweet rolled in the dirt.

"Oh shit." Arthur muttered without realizing it.

"You hit me again and I'll knock you out old man." Dutch glared as he shoved a fistful of candies in his mouth to prove a point. Arthur chewed his lip, grinning behind them. He could feel the chocolate bar in his own pocket. It would probably melt before he got the chance to eat it, but he did it. He smiled to himself as they walked towards the saloon. He got root beer and watched Hosea and Dutch finish a couple whiskeys. Dutch swapped the bottle under the counter and nodded. Arthur eyed him and drank it quickly. It tasted…weird and bitter, but he felt the taste was good. Not at first, but after a couple of sips, he handed it back to Dutch with a giddy expression. Dutch grinned back as he finished it and they all headed back to their horses.

Arthur rode with Dutch as they headed down South towards Rhodes. The trip took longer than he thought, almost a day. They made it down to a tiny creek.

"Ring neck creek." Dutch sighed as he scooped Arthur off and practically leapt of The Count.

"The fish will literally strand themselves on the rocks. Just wait." Dutch swatted his arm as he lit a cigar and made his way down the creek with the fishing poles. Arthur could hear wildlife everywhere, it was mesmerizing. Raccoons squeaked and muskrats chirped while the foxes ran back up North of the creek. Hosea tossed the skinned carcass of the buck and tossed it in the water. Arthur watched, learning their technique as he ran beside Dutch and held out his fishing pole, checking the string adjustments. Dutch wrapped worm bait and handed it back to him. He tossed it in the water and wasn't catching much. Arthur huffed in dismay and then laughed as a fish flapped across his feet.

"Grab it!" Hosea grinned as they all started scouring the pond for fish. Arthur was quick and managed to carry as many as he could within a few minutes and then watched as Dutch dove across the water and caught more.

"You guys are not even fishing." Arthur laughed as he laid the fishing rod in the water, not catching anything, but luring the fish to their doom. Once they all caught as much as they could carry, Dutch started kicking the next round of fish.

"You can carry even more. It's not worth as much, but you can carry double the amount." He nodded. Arthur grinned as he punched a fish and stabbed a few with his knife. They each carried off thirty fish, some broken down, all the way back to Rhodes. Arthur had a lot of fun with it. Knifing the fish was the best part. It was pretty funny seeing Hosea kick a fish too. He carried his lot to the butcher and sold it, getting almost fifty dollars. He felt the weight of it in his pocket, feeling triumphant. With enough of this technique, he'd be able to buy his own gun if he waited long enough. He waited as the others grinned at their own stash. Arthur was excited, he'd never held that much money in his life….maybe once when his father had him buy the draft for the cart, which still wasn't a lot, but this was perfect.

"Come on…." Dutch nudged him as they headed back towards the creek. He drifted slightly as The Count took a soft low trot the whole way back. None of them seemed to be in a hurry as they made it back. Dutch handed him a worn cattleman revolver as they dismounted by the water.

"I…is this mine?" Arthur almost screamed.

"Sometimes." Hosea nodded.

"Only use it when you have to." Dutch added as Arthur held in and stared at the barrel, feeling the unfamiliar weight of it in his hand. His wrist was slightly strained as he aimed it at a rock.

"No no no…" Dutch tsked and turned his hand o the right, where there were a few bottles. Arthur beamed and took a deep breath, trying to rid his excitement and tried his best to concentrate. He tilted back the hammer, like he'd seen others do on the roads he and he father crossed. He pulled the trigger and it cut across the dirt with a cloud of dust. His hand was on fire with pain from the kick. He hadn't expected that, but he steeled himself as Hosea moved closer, coming to help. He cocked it again and managed to shoot three of the five bottles with some ease. Dutch nodded approval as he set up the last two and gave him different ways to position himself for a stronger pullback. He kept practicing until the sun was low. His hand was sore and bleeding from the overuse.

"I'm out of bullets kid." Hosea smirked. Dutch eyed the small stack of pelts, none of which, were any good, but Arthur insisted on taking them to the butcher anyways. They headed back quickly and the town seemed a little empty as they pulled up. Arthur looked on the hill and saw a gathering of people near a very large tree.

"A hanging…" Dutch answered him before he could even ask. Arthur climbed on the back of Hosea's horse and hugged his sides as they loped uphill at a breakneck pace. Arthur huffed as Hosea hissed something at Dutch.

"It's Bell." Dutch glared as they went past quickly.

"He's just a boy." Hosea almost shouted. Arthur looked up and met those silver blue eyes he'd hated so easily, full of fear and welling with tears. Bloodstains were soaked across his shirt, his lip quivered. Arthur inhaled sharply as he saw his father had already met the same fate as the noose around the Bell kid's neck. Arthur pulled out his gun and closed one eye, desperate for focus as he aimed and pulled the trigger as the floor beneath Micah Bell gave way. The rope exploded and the kid tumbled across the ground hard.

"What have you done, boy?!!!" Dutch roared as they circled back instantly. Arthur couldn't see much after that, his vision blinding with stars as he grabbed feebly at the boy, but wasn't fast enough to catch him, too late to save his father. Gunshots rang through the air as men in blue started to fall and hit the ground like mannequins. Dutch snatched the boy up in the blink of an eye as they thundered across the plains and beyond.

"What have you done?" Hosea whispered to him. Arthur looked up and saw Micah on the back of Dutch's horse, the frayed rope still hanging off the back of his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What have I done??? xD Love you guys. Thanks for the wonderful comments. This story is veering off course and I absolutely love it.


	5. A High Roller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur has a very particular dream that starts to change things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for my Arthur... You know who you are... ;P   
> Always humoring my Dutch and riding double on my horse...

Dutch could feel the boy's nails dig into his sides as he pushed The Count onward, through a barrage of police officers. He needed to get away before any of them were recognized or noticed. Arthur followed Hosea's gesture and pulled his bandana over his nose as the wind whipped around him. Dutch couldn't hide his frustrated shout as they shot at policemen that crowded the streets. He knew they had to hide and the horses must flee. Dutch exhaled shakily and holstered his gun.

"Hold on." He huffed at the boy behind him.

Arthur hugged Hosea closer, praying that he wouldn't get kicked out of the only home he'd known. One full of love and acceptance. He knew he'd never find anyone else that cared as much as Hosea and Dutch in such a short amount of time. His fingers tightened as Silver Dollar matched The Count's pace and the buildings around him shifted to trees. Hosea slowed the horse and followed him through a large slate rock near a bend in the road. Dutch hopped off and tugged Micah down, shooing the Count away with a low whistle. Silver Dollar was right behind him, the two steeds cantered off quickly as Dutch snagged Arthur by the arm and yanked him close while Hosea ushered Micah from sight as they eased their way inside an abandoned gang hideout.

"Are you kidding me, kid?" Dutch hissed low, obviously furious with Arthur at what they had done…what _Arthur_ had done.

"I….I'm sorry Dutch." Arthur stammered, his voice rising with that high pitch he hated when he'd get nervous was there. Dutch sighed and rubbed his temples, completely annoyed.

"I won't bother you." Micah whispered beside Dutch.

"No, you don't have anywhere else to run." Dutch snapped back at him quickly. Micah flinched slightly.

"Why don't you both go sit on the bed while we figure this out?" Hosea smiled softly, but his jaw was tense. The boys headed into the other room while Dutch kicked a hole through part of the flooring.

"We can't have too many, I can barely feed myself half the time." Dutch growled.

"I'll make sure we have enough rations to go around, alright?" Hosea rubbed his shoulder, trying to ease his young leader. Hosea sighed and sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Dutch's head against his chest and ran a tentative hand through his damp hair. Dutch buried his face into Hosea's shirt and inhaled deeply, enjoying the comforting scent of him.

"You think he's gonna ditch us?" Micah whispered to Arthur.

"I ain't got no idea what you're talkin' about." Arthur answered quickly.

"I've been with them for five years." Arthur stated as a matter of fact. Micah's pale eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?" He scooted closer towards him.

"Yeah." Arthur lied through his teeth and smiled. Micah nodded and pulled out his knife and sharpened it on a thin angled dark rock that intrigued Arthur.

"I'm Arthur…by the way." He smiled at him.

"Micah Bell." He responded in kind. They eyed each other and then Arthur lied back on the bed with a soft sigh.

"You're awfully scrawny to be running around with a bunch of cowboys." Micah grinned.

"So?" Arthur huffed as his face heated up before he could stop it.

"I'm just saying you don't exactly…look the part." Micah whispered.  Arthur shot up, and was about to yell at him with Dutch's frame filled the doorway.

"That's enough." He growled low as both boys stiffened and looked at the floor. Dutch bit his lower lip to keep the chuckle from rising in his throat because it was almost too easy to keep them in line with just a glare….wannabe cowboys or not.

"You sleep in the other room." He pointed to Micah and handed him a blanket. Micah nodded and took it and disappeared into the other room. Dutch sighed and dropped the other one on the floor.

"W….what? I gotta sleep on the floor?" Arthur started to get all flustered until Dutch sat beside him.

"No, you stay with me, but we need to have a little talk." He eyed the boy. Arthur nodded and looked up at his dark eyes, waiting for the anger, but it never happened.

"I know…you meant to do the right thing, but this kid is a killer." Dutch warned him.

"He's been in the papers before, at least his father was. I don't know a lot about him, but he's young like you, maybe enough to be impressed upon if it isn't too late."

"I…just…" Arthur stammered,

"I just wanted to do the right thing." Arthur whispered. Dutch pulled him close and hugged him close.

"It's alright son." He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his back affectionately. Arthur couldn't stop the tears already running down his face. He sucked in a muffled sob into Dutch's shirt.

"Jesus kid, don't get me started too." Dutch joked, but Arthur could tell there was a slight break in his tone. Arthur sighed softly and enjoyed the warmth of Dutch's embrace; feeling loved wasn't something Arthur took lightly. The soothing circles against his back; it didn't take much for Arthur to be coaxed into a soft slumber against his chest.

"Hey…" Hosea smirked at him. Dutch nodded at Arthur with a grin, passed out against him.

"You know he's a little old to be doing that." Hosea eyed him.

"You let me have this, don't ruin it." Dutch snorted,

"He' s so cute…how could I say no?" Dutch added. Hosea rolled his eyes and pulled the blanket across the bed as Dutch maneuvered Arthur into a more comfortable position against him.

"You sound like me now." Hosea chuckled quietly and went back into the other room. Now it was Dutch that rolled his eyes.

Arthur curled up and slept soundlessly against Dutch throughout half the night. He knew he was dreaming, because he was older, bigger, and far stronger than what he was now.

_He saw Dutch beside him, teaching him how to fish the biggest types of muskies. Arthur grinned, full of excitement, eager to learn as much as he could from his mentor. Dutch was reaching for him, Arthur leaned closer and closed his eyes. He could feel the warm press of Dutch's lips against his own. A soft moan of surprise escaped his mouth._

_"I want to teach you so much more." Dutch whispered in his ear. Arthur shuddered as his hand slowly ran up his thigh….coasting upward between his legs, easing his wrist under his shirt, through his union suit._

_"Fuck." Arthur gasped, feeling teeth graze across his neck. He tilted his head up, giving him more access. His legs lifted, hugging his hips. He could feel Dutch against him and his hands run slowly down his hips, gripping his backside. Arthur moaned again, completely losing it when Dutch's hand closed around his length._

Arthur stiffened and sat up in shock and grabbed at his shirt and looked around him. He could see Dutch was still asleep, if the snore weren't enough indication. He lifted a shaky hand over the blanket and eased himself off the bed and snuck outside. He inhaled deeply and looked down at his ruined pants and felt the fiery heat of embarrassment.

"Now?" He huffed angrily and tugged off his jeans and sloshed them in the lake and wiped his brow with a sigh.

"You having naughty dreams, Morgan?" Micah snickered and ran over to him.

"Oh Lord…" Arthur huffed as he pulled on a union suit and tossed his wet pants against a rock and sighed.

"Was it a pretty girl?" Micah sat beside him. Arthur blushed even more, somehow. It was Dutch Fucking Van Derlinde looking…feeling… _touching…biting._

"Yeah…" Arthur lied.

"Is it someone you know?" Micah eyed him.

"Umm…she would help around the farm sometimes with her dad and deliver papers." Arthur sighed. He was in such disbelief over what his mind had just done to him.

_What the actual fuck…_

"Can I be alone?" He looked at Micah.

"Sorry, I'll umm head inside, but if you need to talk I'm here you know." Micah smiled and went back inside their makeshift camp. Arthur leaned his head against his knee and sighed.

"Why couldn't have been some girl…any girl…for that matter." Arthur grumbled. He was upset with himself because of his own thoughts. Did he have feelings for him? for men? Dutch? He laid against the rock until the sun started to peek over the horizon. He winced at the pain in his shoulder from sleeping on the ground, but what woke him was a figure standing over him.

"Sorry Hosea." He sat up carefully and snatched his pants and started tugging them on quickly.

"It's okay, but it's not safe to sleep outside Arthur." Hosea spoke without making eye contact.

"Even if you do need to clean your pants in the middle of the night." He added and handed him a bowl of soup.

"I'm sorry, please don't tell Dutch." Arthur almost whined.

"Why on earth would I tell Dutch?" Hosea chuckled. Arthur's face went scarlet as he looked down at his bowl.

"I don't know." Arthur sighed and started eating.

"Okay then." Hosea left it alone and started pouring more soup for the others. Arthur ate quietly while Micah sat beside him and nudged his shoulder before eating his own soup.

"Shut up." Arthur frowned, already feeling like he knew Micah. He just hoped he wouldn't guess too much into the details of last night's dream. Arthur couldn't even look at Dutch that morning….or that afternoon as they packed up the horses. Of course Arthur rode with Dutch as they mounted the horses. Arthur climbed up on his own and tried not to think about Dutch's hand on his hip and how he moved his other hand on the rein like usual. Arthur was broken, nobody in their right mind would think the way he was right now. It was getting difficult to ignore. He didn't really know Dutch just yet, but he knew enough of him that his mind wander way too far off as he slept. He'd been mad at himself for thinking it changed anything between them. It was silly, now that he thought about it. He did his best to bury whatever it supposedly was. It worked… _enough_.

 

They traveled across a couple of towns over the weeks as they started to drift by. Arthur never really paid attention to what the days were anymore. They hunted in the afternoons and huddled together under the stars in the evenings; it was absolute freedom. Arthur got better at hunting too. Hosea had given him a varmint rifle that he used every day, making sure to only catch the best pelts he could for the most money. Dutch let him keep everything too. It was almost like a job, but no responsibility about timing or anything. He eased off The Count and leaned against the wall, trying to gather the strength in his legs before Dutch swiped him off the ground. He laughed as he swayed through the air and Dutch sat him back down with a chuckle. Arthur grinned and chased Hosea across the street as the sun drifted lower into the sky, making an orange soft ball cloaked in a muted blue on the horizon. Arthur sat beside Micah as Hosea and Dutch figured out where they were staying.

"I hate this town." Arthur muttered.

"Why?" Micah asked as he shoved a handful of almonds in his mouth.

"The fence guy that sells stuff…" Arthur scooted closer,

"He took my pocket watch." Arthur whispered.

"Bastard." Micah sneered.

"Hey!" Dutch snapped his fingers, causing them both to jump slightly.

"Sorry." Micah looked up and gave him a soft uneasy look and rolled his eyes once Dutch glanced away. Arthur swatted his arm and they both chuckled.

"Can you two handle yourselves?" Dutch eyed them as he grabbed a satchel and headed upstairs. Hosea ushered them to follow as he opened the door for both of them.

"I think we'll be fine." Micah smiled softly and closed the door as the other two went next door. Micah grinned and jumped on the bed until his hat flew off. Arthur grinned as he watched him and climbed up beside him as the bed squeaked under both of their weight.

"What do you wanna do?" Arthur grinned.

"I don't know." Micah huffed as they chuckled together. Arthur tackled Micah as they wrestled across the floor. Micah gasped slightly and pulled back, adjusting his shirt as he sat up. Arthur fumbled with his sleeve as he looked down at the tightness of his trousers.

_Fuck…_

Arthur sat cross-legged, trying to hide it.

"You too?" Micah grinned and sat in the same manner.

"I umm…yeah." Arthur managed, but didn't know what else to say.

"It's fine, it happens all the time to me too." Micah grinned.

"Well, it's damned well embarrassing." Arthur muttered as he tried to think of other things to settle himself down.

"Just untuck your shirt, nobody will notice. It's evening anyways." Micah tugged his own red shirt from his pants and laid back against the floor. Arthur did the same and yawned.

"Let's go get your pocket watch." Micah sat up and pulled Arthur up quickly.

"I…okay." Arthur followed Micah outside the window as they snuck around the corner and headed towards the fence in the prairie side. Arthur remembered he's taken the same path three months ago. He was trying to sell a pair of earrings he'd found in a hotel as an emergency fund, but the fence guy ended up swindling him into looking at the pocket watch too, which he never returned. Heat seared into Arthur's body, he very will. He was wronged, he'd fix that tonight. Micah and he both walked up to the fence.

"Hey, anyone that pays…is still a customer." He smiled at them, noting they were a bit young to buy of him, but he didn't seem to care as Micah flashed a wad of bills in his palm. The man nodded and Micah eyed the merchandise. He snatched up the revolver and pointed it at the man. Arthur's blood pressure skyrocketed instantly as he snatched up the pocket watch with a little engraving of a rose on the front of it. Arthur bolted with Micah in tow as they ran off as quickly as they could, taking the farthest route back to the hotel. They dropped on the bed together and laughed.

"That was amazing!" Arthur chided and Micah thumbed the handle of the gun and held it out to Arthur. He took it and grinned at the shiny metal and the heart and spade etchings along the barrel.

"A high roller." Arthur whispered softly and tucked in under the bed carefully as they tugged the blanket up. The day was wearing down of Arthur. He closed his eyes and slept far better than he had in months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I left it a bit calmer, there will be a lot of change in the next chapter (get ready Arthur!) you youngin'... Hope all of you have enjoyed this so far. I even had to do a little research about "changes" XD In the name of VanderMorgan...


	6. Long Time Rider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur starts to realize he's crushing on Dutch...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any of my online players/readers, please stop shooting random people in the face, nobody likes it. And if any of my readers are one of those people, shame on you! lol
> 
> Enoy ya'll. Kimmi

Dutch sighed in the heat of the desert as they circled back towards the ruddy town where they'd first found Arthur. It had been a couple of months past and the small gang slowly grew closer. Dutch learned Arthur was far more on an introvert, which really was cute. It didn't take much to get him to blush, while Micah was the exact opposite; actually, more like Dutch than he cared to admit. That would mean Arthur was similar to Hosea…in some ways, but there was anger there. He'd catch glimpses of it from time to time. When they'd hunt or he'd mess up something and he'd keep trying. It was almost like he shared the same fire that Dutch had. The kid was harder to figure out than Dutch had anticipated. He started getting a little more ground, finding his feet with the gang.

"Dutch?" Arthur tugged at the front of his shirt as they rode through patches of dirt and tumbleweeds.

"Sorry…" He looked up, used to having Arthur steer The Count while he became lost in his own thoughts.

"You okay?" Arthur whispered, keeping his voice down.

"Yeah kid, I'm jus' real fuckin' tired." Dutch shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh.

"You can sleep if you want, I know the way Dutch." Arthur smirked knowingly. Without an afterthought, Dutch tightened his grip around Arthur and leaned his head against his shoulder.

Arthur grinned and bit his lip, excited about gaining so must trust from their leader, but even more so that he was leaning against him. Arthur looked away, masking his face with his hat, but his face was already warm with blush. He had a smug grin as he enjoyed the heavy press of Dutch's chest against his back. He could feel his jeans get uncomfortable, but he kept riding. He took any little moments he got with Dutch, but this was probably the best one yet. He sighed softly, feeling warm and tingly and peeked down at Dutch's gloved hands against his waist, they almost went all the way around, but much to Arthur's delight, he was already starting to fill out a bit. He'd catch little whiffs of tobacco and vanilla off him. Arthur knew it was from the candy and cigars he enjoyed.

It was heaven, even if Dutch had no clue how often Arthur's mind wandered. He couldn't help it half the time. His heart would pick up an odd times when he'd see him, but he managed to control it most of the time.

"Whatcha grinning for?" Micah scoffed and sighed against the back of Hosea's horse.

"Shut up." Arthur grumbled and pushed The Count to a quicker trot so he didn't have to look or think about Micah anymore.

He stiffened slightly as Dutch mumbled and turned his head to the side, grazing against Arthur's shoulder. He grinned again, knowing the feeling was his to enjoy. He wondered if Dutch had ever been with anyone. If he ever had the courage…maybe one day he's ask him. Pretend it was about growing up and being nervous, which wasn't a complete lie, but the information would be all his to mull over.

"I'll set up camp here and you go ahead and grab some supplies for the horses okay?" Hosea nodded at Arthur. He nodded and turned The Count across the bend in the road and eased him to the elevated slope near the covered bridge. He felt Dutch slip and lean a little harder against him. Arthur reached and tried to steady him with a hand on Dutch's shoulder.

"Shit." He mumbled as Dutch stirred and sat up, righting himself with a yawn.

"What are we doin'?" Dutch rubbed his face and looked around.

"Heading to town, I got ya Dutch." Arthur grinned proudly, only to have Dutch press against him again and snore this time. Arthur shuddered slightly and used one hand over Dutch's to make certain he wouldn't slip off or change position.

"Dutch, we gotta stop, you're too tired to even hang on to me."

Dutch nodded as Arthur carefully dismounted and grabbed the canvas bedroll, He set it up quickly, not bothering with making a fire as he laid out the blankets and eased a staggering Dutch under the flap of the tent. Arthur eased him down with a grunt and laid beside him carefully. He turned and looked at him asleep. He looked peaceful… Arthur waiting until he was snoring before he took him time eyeing him. He sighed softly and looked at the mole on his cheek, curious to see how many more he had. They lined the side of his neck too. Arthur scooted closer, allowing himself the comforting warmth of the older man. He was sure Dutch didn't feel the same way, he was just a stupid kid in his own opinion. But he took what he could get if it made him happy. He could feel his heart rate pick up as his eyes trailed across Dutch's form. He was such a man. Wide set shoulders, a tapering curve of his hips. Arthur blushed and looked away, chewing his lower lip. He really should be ashamed of himself for thinking about such things, but he couldn't help it. It was as if his heart had chosen at random who it liked. He sighed and pressed his face against his shirt and curled up. When Dutch was asleep, he could enjoy it, but when he was around him, he knew he had to watch himself. He knew nothing of Dutch's preferences, or even if he was into men…not that Arthur could quite call himself that either. He nuzzled closer and sleep slowly took him away.

_Dutch was holding him close, he was petting his hair and leaning over him, kissing him. It was warm and sweet. Arthur ran a hand through Dutch's thick dark hair. It started getting longer he noticed. He could feel the press of him against his leg as his hands slowly roamed up his hips._

_"Dutch.." he whined against him…_

Arthur stirred and woke to a blackened tent. He squinted under his palm and wiped off his brow, slick with perspiration. He looked up and inhaled in surprise and saw Dutch grinning at him. Heat burned his cheeks as he rubbed the side of his face and sat up, immediately trying to hide his arousal.

"Hey you." Dutch yawned and sat up, Arthur did the same and discreetly placed his hands in his lap.

"Where's Hosea?" Dutch looked around.

"I…he's back at camp." Arthur cleared his throat.

"We're not at camp?" Dutch raised a brow.

"I had to set something up, you crashed out pretty hard." Arthur grinned.

"You set all this up?" Dutch started to smirk.

"Yup." Arthur beamed. Dutch patted his shoulder.

"Atta boy." He nodded. Arthur flushed under his praise and loved every second of it he got.

"Better take care of that…" Dutch chided and pulled himself up and tossed a blanket at Arthur's lap and ducked from the tent.

"Oh my Lord…no." Arthur covered his face in shame. So he did notice… Arthur tried mentally gathering his bearings as he carefully packed up the blankets and glared down at himself.

"Just once I'd like to sleep without this problem." He hissed to himself and folded up the blanket. He stilled and held it close and breathed in that pleasant scent. He let out a soft coo and pulled himself up, trying to will his erection away. He adjusted his jeans and made it look less noticeable as he left the tent and tugged out the pegs he stuck in the ground.

"It's not that terrible." Dutch eyed him as he tucked away the canvas roll.

"What?" Arthur blushed redder and looked up.

"Having those…I mean I get them too, it's normal. It's nothing to be embarrassed about." He added. Arthur could barely understand what he was saying because his heart was hammering so fast in his ears. Had he had one too and Arthur had never noticed? Now he was starting to think of other things before he could stop himself.

 _What did Dutch look like? Was he thick? pale? Fuck..._ Arthur at this point probably wouldn't care. He'd never been picky about anything in his life

"Kay…" Was all Arthur was able to manage out of his mouth. He didn't know what to answer to that so he just nodded. They packed up the little tent and Arthur fed The Count a handful of wild carrots he found the day before. Dutch adjusted the reins and climbed on, holding his hands out towards Arthur.

"Can I take a break from driving?" He eyed him and gave his best pleading look. He never thought he was any good at begging since it really got him nowhere, but Dutch chuckled and nodded at him. Arthur grinned as he pulled himself up and adjusted his position a little. He hugged Dutch's hips and let out a small shudder, hoping it wasn't too obvious. He buried his face against his shirt as Dutch flicked his wrist and eased the Count off to a soft canter towards Blackwater. Dutch hunted a little on the way, Arthur grinned excitedly as he chased after a rabbit and helped Dutch skin some of the white tail buck as they edged closer to Blackwater.  

A loud snarl startled both of them. Arthur gripped Dutch tightly as he sucked in a startled gasp. Dutch stiffened slightly and aimed his rifle behind Arthur with lethal precision.

"Lean a little to the right, boy." Dutch warned him. Arthur immediately turned just enough, but also very carefully.

_BANG!_

The noise made Arthur's ears ring as he winced a little. He looked over his shoulder and saw a cougar on the floor, a hole straight through its head. Arthur whistled in surprise, causing a grin to form over Dutch's features.

"We can't carry it back, not with me on the back of the horse.

"Well, you sure as hell ain't walking." Dutch winked at him. Arthur felt his heart flutter at the gesture and smiled. Dutch looped a rope around his forearm and lassoed the cougar and started to drag it towards the butcher.

"I never thought of that." Arthur laughed. Dutch somehow always knew what to do. Arthur mentally stored the information and hugged Dutch tighter. He could tell whenever Dutch laughed or coughed this way. He rumbled slightly as he sucked on a cigar as they reached the outskirts of the town.

"You wanna go have a drink with me?" Dutch eyed him and raised a brow.

"I'd love to." Arthur grinned and followed him eagerly.

 


	7. Run!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hosea gains more insight on why Micah is so troubled and Dutch makes a new enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for inspiring this one Zaza, your stories are so good and cute.

Micah groaned and tossed his knife at a stump and watched it sink slowly into the softened wood.

"I'm booooooorrred." He groaned and looked over at Hosea, carrying a small basket of fish.

"Settle down young man." Hosea tsked. He sat down beside him and handed him a fish. The boy grumbled under his breath as he started to shave off the scales from the smallmouth bass.

"There. now you don't have to be so bored." Hosea chuckled and sat beside him and started in on his own fish.

"So, you going to enlighten me on why you were going to get the rope?" He looked up at him. Micah looked almost like he could be related to Hosea if you squinted, both with blonde hair and fair skin, but Micah's was a shock of platinum combed to the side with pomade.

"I umm…" He flushed slightly.

"I may have to know in order to make a story to tell anyone that may recognize you."  He eyed him with soft brown eyes. Micah's eyes narrowed.

"You just wanna know what I did to deserve it, huh?" He kept shaving off scales and tapped the knife against the heel of his boot.

"Come on then…" Hosea set down the fish and crossed his arms.

"I umm…well, my father…he umm…" Micah's face reddened a little. Hosea reached out to rub his shoulder affectionately, but Micah flinched in surprise and looked away, ashamed.

"Micah…did he do things to you?" Hosea whispered. The kid's thin brows furrowed slightly and before he could answer, tears dropped against his hands in his lap. Hosea leaned down and pulled him close into a hug and the fish fell on the floor as Micah sucked in a sob.

"Jesus." Hosea sighed.

"I…he made me kill someone….a girl." He cried harder. Hosea couldn't hide his shock, so he didn't say anything, and just held him.

"It's never easy, I'll help you get through it alright." Hosea rubbed his shoulders soothingly.

"He did other stuff too, things I don't really think should've happened, but I'm okay." Micah sighed, tugged at his bandana slightly and thumbed the revolver he'd stolen months ago.

"You're a survivor kid, where'd you get that from?" Hosea nodded towards his gun.

"I stole it…" He grinned, getting an eye roll from Hosea as they talked.

"Well…" Hosea pulled out his own revolver and it looked exactly like Micah's.

"What?!" He grinned and tugged his own free and admired them together. It was cool knowing he carried the same weapon as a real gunslinger.

"This is so cool." Micah grinned and handed it back to him. Hosea started setting bottles along the stumps and tied a few by strings on the tree branches.

"You ready?" He eyed him and pulled out his own revolver and aimed it. Micah almost shouted in excitement as he aimed his own and widened his stance a little, trying to follow the other man's lead and appear just as cool. Micah pulled the trigger first, missing the first shot.

"Fuck." He growled while Hosea clicked his tongue at him. Micah grinned and focused, getting the second shot dead on while another bottle right beside it had exploded too, from Hosea's gun. He grinned as they practiced together and Micah was delighted in how easily it was to like Hosea. He was a shock of kindness in a war torn world that Micah was in. He never really believed in love, but this was the closest he'd gotten to it. Being with the Van Derlinde gang was something else. After enough practice, Micah rubbed his eye and winced.

"Ahh gross, I touched the fish and now my face." Micah winced. Hosea just laughed and laughed. He picked up the fish and threw it at Hosea. He laughed harder and gave chase. Micah screamed in a pitch he didn't know he was capable of and ducked under the tent and ran. Hosea growled as he closed in on him quickly and tackled him in a fit of laughter.  They both chuckled and laid back against the brittle dry grass and looked up at the stars.

"It's pretty out here." Micah sighed.

"Isn't it?" Hosea sighed, forgetting the fish.

Just then Dutch and Arthur slowly approached camp, they could see the small smoke trail from the fire, it wasn't going to be much longer. Arthur frowned, he was enjoying riding behind Dutch, maybe a little too much. He could so easily run his hands down his hips lower and just grab it. His face burned at the thought he knew he'd never act on, but it was interesting to see what he could imagine. Thoughts would just float up into his mind before he could stop him. He didn't want to be a voyeur, but there was a significant difference between thoughts and actions. This way he could imagine anything he wanted without any repercussions.  For now he just simply dug his fingers in slightly, feeling the way Dutch tensed a little from the change, but he didn't say a word as they reached the camp to find Hosea and Micah asleep beside each other, almost how Arthur slept beside Dutch, but not as close unless Dutch fell asleep first. Arthur would take that secret to his grave.

"Well, so much for sleeping outside the tent, it's too dangerous Dutch." Dutch mocked in a high sing-song voice at Hosea. The older blonde's eyes fluttered open as he threw the dead fish at Dutch, causing a disgruntled whinny from The Count and a chuckle from their leader. Arthur slowly slid off to the left and Dutch landed beside him, hand against his shoulder to keep him from falling.

"I got ya." He smirked, causing a soft subtle blush to creep across Arthur's cheeks.

_He really needed to get a handle on his feelings…_

"Thanks." He trotted off quickly to the second tent, hearing Micah's protests at being woken up as he practically stomped behind Arthur. Arthur turned and saw him stagger slightly. Hosea kept a hand under his arm and led him to the tent. Arthur looked over his shoulder and eyed Dutch, hoping he'd get to sleep beside him, too acquainted with their common regime. He smirked, eliciting a soft whimper from Arthur as he walked back towards him. Dutch looped an arm around his head and pulled him close, a soft kiss pressed against the top of his head. Arthur melted with contentment.

"Come on then…" Dutch lifted the flap of the other tent and laid out his dark fluffy coat as a pillow and Arthur drifted off after Dutch read a couple chapters of Inferno to him.

"Which is why he said that man cannot be free…" He paused and looked over at Arthur, curled on his side and sleeping soundly. Dutch set down the book and threaded his fingers through his scruffy hair. The kid smiled in his sleep and Dutch carefully eased himself up and back over to the crackling fire.

"You're getting too attached." Hosea sighed as he eased his knife through the fire, searing a fish.

"You did…and now, here we are." Dutch nudged his heel with his boot and chuckled softly.

"Just be careful." Hosea sighed.

"What the hell are you so worried about?" Dutch tensed slightly,

"I'm not stupid, nor am I even thinking of that." He almost growled.

"I know…Dutch, but he's getting more clingy and he's getting older, you get what I mean when I say this, right?" Hosea spoke between bites.

"I know, I'm not that naïve." Dutch pursed his lips.

"I'll talk to him later about alright?" Dutch rubbed his eyes and got up, heading for his tent.

He eased under the blankets and glanced at Arthur and shook his head.

"Hosea is crazy." He laid against him and ran a palm through Arthur's hair again.

"You're my kid." He smirked, knowing he'd stop at nothing to protect him. He knew he'd probably never call him a son, not officially yet, but somewhere deep inside, he knew Arthur was as close as he'd probably ever get. If he wanted to snuggle against him as he slept, then fuck Hosea. Dutch exhaled shakily and slipped his free hand under his own head and slowly drifted off.

Arthur woke to a familiar warmth against him. He smiled and rubbed his cheek against his shirt and sighed as he turned over and pulled himself up slowly. He glanced at Dutch, his chest rising and falling slowly, completely at peace. Arthur smiled and carefully set Dutch's dark felt hat carefully beside the pillow. He slowly brushed his hair back; God, it was as soft as he imagined it would be. He carefully withdrew his hand as Dutch mumbled slightly in his sleep, the words incoherent, but Arthur grinned and quietly left the tent. He looked around quickly and adjusted his jeans with a flustered sigh, crossing the small stream to relieve himself by a tree, not too close to camp, but also not too far. He unfastened his jeans and fumbled with the buttons of his union suit until he managed to get himself free. He grumbled at the feel of it in his hands. This morning's effects hadn't quite worn off. He looked down and it just seemed a little different, maybe bigger? He wasn't sure. He really didn't pay too much attention because he was too nervous of getting caught by his father, who had beaten him the first time he caught Arthur looking at himself. He hadn't been doing anything, but he quickly realized his self-esteem issues had probably stemmed from the multitude of bad experiences with his father.

"What are doing!!" Micah shouted behind him, startling Arthur so much that he jumped slightly. He crammed himself back into his union suit before he even had the chance to go.

"Fuck..nothing!" Arthur's voice already pitched in his surprise. Micah grinned over his shoulder and ran beside him, unfastened his own jeans and pissed on the tree right beside Arthur. He flushed and gasped, looking in the opposite direction, completely red in the face.

"Damn Arthur calm down." Micah chuckled softly.

"Are you nervous?" He raised a thin brow as Arthur wouldn't meet his eyes, too nervous to actually answer him.

"It's alright…you'll get over the whole privacy issue." He smirked and stuck his hands in the river and shook them of, dusting them across his pale red shirt. Arthur managed to relieve himself after Micah left.

"Privacy…sheesh." Arthur muttered, rolling his eyes as he rinsed his hands in the stream and trotted back to camp. He could hear laughter as Hosea hopped across the tent and ran past him. Arthur flushed slightly, seeing Hosea was half dressed and Dutch was right behind him, chasing after him in a union suit the color of charcoal. Arthur stilled in surprise as Dutch growled and tackled Hosea across the grass, wrestling the bandana from his hands and snapping him in the stomach with it, laughing hysterically. Arthur laughed and saw Micah cackling too, with his own bandana in his hands and eyed Arthur. He flushed slightly and ducked left, taking off quickly.

"I'll git ya Morgan!" Micah chuckled and gave chase, causing a rise of laughter from Arthur as he tumbled across the grass while Micah leapt on him. The bandana made small sharp little stings on his shoulder and arms as he curled inward, laughing and groaning from the pain. Dutch swiped Micah off the ground in one swoop, Arthur would never forget how huge his eyes had gotten, unable to say anything with stunned silence. Dutch laughed and rubbed his fist on his hair, marring all the perfect lines of pale blonde until Micah squirmed and shouted.

"I give!! I give…" Micah whined, while Arthur laughed. Dutch shoved him playfully and grabbed his jeans and tugged them on as he walked across camp.

"I have to go hunt." He stated plainly as he fastened the buttons of his shirt and tossed Micah back his pale blue bandana.

"I'm not going?" Arthur whined instantly.

"You two have to stay here." Hosea tossed a rifle at Dutch, catching it without looking up. Arthur frowned and started to follow Dutch to protest, but he locked eyes with him, causing Arthur to still in surprise.

"The only thing out here are bears and cougars, boy…" Dutch warned him.

"You don't want us to go…" Micah frowned, sharing Arthur's disappointment.

"You two stay…end of story." Dutch spoke low as they mounted the horses. Arthur nodded while Micah turned away to angrily kick at a log beside him.

"Can it Micah, sheesh we ain't gonna change their minds at all and you know it." Arthur sighed again and sat beside the fire, which was now a glowing pile of embers. Micah sat beside him and watched as their leaders trotted off to the East.

"So, you wanna talk about this morning?" Micah looked up at him, busying his hands with sharpening his knife.

"What?!" Arthur choked on the water he was drinking from a canteen.

"Have you ever?" He raised a brow.

"Ever what?" Arthur looked up at him.

"You know…" Micah raised a brow and smirked.

"Lord, no…that's…it's gross." Arthur huffed and started cooking some game meat e caught the other day.

"Are you fucking serious?" Micah sounded apalled, like he'd been slapped.

"You've never touched it?" He leaned closer.

"Umm…no." Arthur muttered as he started eating, trying not to blush throughout this very uncomfortable conversation.

"You should." Micah nudged him with his shoulder.

"Why?" He frowned.

"Do I need to tell you everything?" Micah chuckled softly.

"Oh…then you're a virgin?" Micah raised a brow.

"You aren't?!" Arthur looked up, shocked.

"You're twelve too though." Arthur muttered. Micah just shrugged.

"It wasn't really on my terms, but I learned a lot by myself." He grinned.

"Just try it… you'll figure it out." Micah smirked and Arthur eyed him; he was serious, but trying to be friendly about it.

"Well, I don’t know when or if I'd ever have the time to do it. I mean it's already kinda crowded here to begin with." Arthur couldn't believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

"You can try it now, I won't bother you." He shrugged.

"But you'd know about it!?" Arthur almost wailed and Micah chuckled,

"Fine, but just make sure neither of them see you doing it. They'll freak out and get all weird for a few days." He smirked.

"That's awfully specific….wait, who?" He eyed him.

"Hosea." Micah shrugged and they both laughed. Arthur yawned and laid back against the rock and sighed.

"So, you kinda saved me…you know." Micah looked up at him. Arthur smirked back and nodded.

"You can buy me a present." Arthur chuckled as Micah held his hand up.

"Shhh…" He waved at Arthur. They stood up quickly. They could hear footsteps and horse hooves pounding the ground in the opposite direction from where Dutch and Hosea went.

"Run!" Micah shouted and Arthur shot up quickly and bolted, Micah right behind him as they ran away from the camp. They could hear shouts around them as men in green vests and bandanas swarmed the camp, rampantly tearing through everything. Arthur huffed as his legs started to strain with his efforts, but Micah pushed him onward, hisses at him to push through or they were done for. Arthur managed to climb up a tall tree and turned to help Micah get up and he couldn't see him anywhere. He could hear a gunshot and he glanced behind him just in time to see Micah hit the earth with a soft plume of dust. He'd never forget the scream that left his friend.

Arthur growled and turned around, dropping from the tree and shouted in frustration at them, knowing he was next. He ran to Micah anyways and felt his face and his hands, whispering to him.

"You're okay, I promise, it's alright. Everything is gonna be okay." Arthur sucked in sobs as he hugged Micah close. He seized up slightly in his arms and jerked a little, unable to control his movements. His pale eyes were dilated in fear and he kept shouting.

Arthur looked up and saw an older man, black hair tied back behind his head.

"Don't shoot." He ordered the other men surrounding Arthur and Micah.

"I know that hat." He whispered low. Arthur stiffened and looked at Micah, who was wheezing in his arms.

"Take him." The leader shouted. Arthur got up and held up his fists, full of rage and ready to fight, but a sharp pain to the back of his temple silenced him and his world went black.

 

 


	8. Old Enough to Know Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dutch finds Arthur, but Hosea is the one that picks up his pieces afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kimmi, this wasn't planned by any means and I blame you for it. As for the rest of you readers....you're welcome.
> 
> I have a plan....I had a plan. 
> 
> I dedicate this chapter to NiwiNoodle, her Youtube video was amazing. Ya'll check it out sometime; it's titled Arthur and Dutch deal with fanfic creators....I laughed so hard.
> 
> Enjoy everyone... *whispers*

Hosea pushed Silver Dollar quicker as The Count cantered hastily beside him.

"We need to get back." Dutch muttered.

"I feel like we've left them alone too long." Hosea nodded as their steeds went into a full blown gallop.

"Oh my God no!" Hosea shouted as they entered the destroyed camp and he almost fell off his horse, rushing towards the kid and leaning over Micah.

"Is he alive?!" Dutch panicked and felt along Micah's sides as a shrill shout came out of his mouth, but it was pure agony.

"Who did this?" Dutch hissed low. He looked around and couldn't see his kid anywhere.

"Where's Arthur?" He growled and pulled himself up quickly, unable to get anything from Micah. The kid was barely breathing.

"I need to get him to a doctor." Hosea bit his shirt and tore it across the bottom and wrapped it carefully across his stomach and hips, tightening it enough.

"Here…" Dutch handed him a bottle of Kentucky bourbon.

"Drink this, as much as you can." Hosea pressed the bottle to Micah's lips and he shouted, unable to tell what was happening to him.

"Drink it right now boy!" Hosea swatted Micah's cheek, forcing him to a startled point of conciseness. He cried out and grabbed at him and screamed as Hosea sat him upright.

"It won't hurt as much if you drink this, come on son." Hosea tried the bottle to his lips again and he drank a few swigs and wretched. Dutched eyed him over Hosea's shoulder

"You're a tough little shit, come on." Dutch urged him on and he managed half the bottle and gasped as Hosea lifted him against his chest and carried him to his horse.

"Get to Valentine as quick as you can, I'll find Arthur. Don't argue just go!" Dutch shouted as he mounted The Count and gunned it up the road to Blackwater with Hosea beside him. Micah was leaning a little too far left and Hosea had to keep straightening him out.

"Stay with kid, come on." Hosea would keep talking, trying to keep the kid awake, jerking him in his arm every couple minutes. Words came out of his mouth, but none of them made any sense.

Dutch nodded as he separated paths with Hosea and headed East with a snarl. The Count's hooves thudded heavily against the ground, loping as fast as Dutch's rage sparked. He hugged the horse's hips with his legs and pulled out both guns; he didn't need to guess where he was headed. If the green bandana left at camp was any indication of who had done it….

Colm Fucking O' Driscoll….

He saw the camp at the heart of Cumberland Forest, he rose his gun up and fired his automatic pistols at the closest man, head exploding open with a heavy spurt of red behind him as he hit the floor…explosive rounds were a bitch.

"Fuck you!!" Dutch snarled, shooting everyone in sight. He saw one of the left quietly circle behind to flank him. He hissed and turned his gun over his shoulder and pulled back the hammer, firing behind him until he heard the body fall. The rattles of his guns reloading as the muscle memory of reloading occurred without a second thought. He was fucking livid, nobody hurt his babies… _Nobody._

He turned his arm to the right, knocking over three more with perfectly aimed headshots. He looked down and met blue eyes of another O' Driscoll and slapped him hard across the cheek with his gun until he heard bone crack, pulling the trigger until he felt the soft coolness of air as a hole replaced where one of his eyes had been. Dutch kicked the body away and hopped over the fire as more men filtered out through the pines.

"Colm!" He roared as he fired off shots, pulling out his rifle and gaining speed at he took out each one in quick succession with a continuous click of the hammer. He grabbed another man and blew his face off with a sawed off shotgun, brain matter splattering across his vest and shirt, switching since he was already out of pistol ammo. He shook of the red splatter and ran uphill with raging purpose. He hissed as he kicked over bodies and saw the shack looming at the top of the hill, shrouded in fog. He inhaled sharply as one gang member tackled him across the leaves. Dutch growled and slapped him across the face with the butt of his pistol and went right for his neck. He clutched his throat as hard as he could, feeling tendons snap under his fingers as he hissed, choking the life out of the man under him. He jerked his wrist until he heard the familiar snap of his fragile neck, only then did he let go. Dutch panted, wiping his brow and staining it red as he lunged uphill. He crept closer, seeing four men around the cabin, guns drawn. Dutch cracked the barrel of his gun against one head and fired without looking, only knowing he was dead when he'd felt the warm wetness leak across his boot. Dutch strangled another one, then slashed his knife across the man's throat, guttural noises leaving him as he dropped on the floor. He grabbed the last one and forced his fist upward hard against the door, jarring it open and smashing the man's head against the wall with a resounding crack. A soft gasp reached his ears. He could hear him… _Arthur…_

Dutch stilled, seeing the knife pointed at the boy's neck. It wasn't Colm, but he was clearly in charge. Dutch's dark eyes narrowed with rage, his teeth showed. His whole body was trembling as he stepped cautiously closer.

"Don't you fucking move!" The man shouted, as Arthur cried out, a thin stream of red ran down his neck where the knife dug in enough to elicit noise from him.

"Pa…" The kid whispered. Dutch wasn't exactly sure that's what he meant, but that's exactly what it sounded like. His fingers flexed and he exhaled slowly, going almost completely still a second later. Arthur had been beaten by who knows how many of them. He'd have to assess the damage later. Dutch knew he'd only have one second to kill the leader. He angled his heel slightly to the right and grabbed the man's arm that was wielding the knife and snapped it.

A gasp left the kid as he sank slowly to the floor, unable to hold himself up and Dutch grabbed the man's head and twisted it backward with a sharp jerk of his arms and hissed. He dropped the knife and lit a cigar and inhaled sharply, the red was everywhere when the match ignited. Arthur couldn't see much, but he could smell the rich coppery scent as a wave of nausea washed over him. Dutch stepped closer and carefully scooped him up. Arthur cried out as he was squished against his chest. He flinched slightly as Dutch fired off shots, not realizing there were any more people until he could hear the bodies hit the ground as Dutch walked away, leaving a thick trail  of blood with each step. He was practically on fire from the inside out. He'd never killed so many people at once. Yeah a few here and there that he'd picked fights with and even a couple of camps he and Hosea took out together, but he easily killed over forty people. But all of it was for something… _someone…_

"Arthur….are you alright?" Dutch whispered, gravel in his voice, but Arthur nodded feebly. He continued on and whistled low for The Count as he eased up to a rock and set Arthur in front and hopped on, kicking off and heading up to Valentine. He headed through the darkness as stars slowly dropped across the sky. It was a sight to behold as he tucked the boy closer, possessively even. He glared at everyone they passed, forcing them a good few feet away as they sped off once they caught sight of his bloodstained clothes along with the dark look he shot them. Arthur groaned from time to time, the noise assuring Dutch he was still breathing, but in pain. The doctor's office was just down the street. It was three in the morning when Dutch eased off the his horse, carrying a limp Arthur in his arms.

"Take care of him please." Dutch huffed as the doctor nodded, getting him to a bed and calling the nurse to help. Dutch sat down in the chair and looked over at the person across from him and sighed. He got startled glances from the strangers around him, but he ignored them until a familiar pair of dark Western boots shuffled on the floor in front of him. He looked up, his face filling with heat. He wasn't ashamed, but the look on Hosea's face quickly changed his mind. His friend said nothing as he walked past him, going out the back exit. Dutch swallowed thickly and followed him. His pulse quickened until he could feel it in his ears as he crossed the street, taking notice that it was completely empty. He turned back to Hosea and inhaled sharply as he slapped him across the face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Dutch growled back before Hosea yanked him close into a tight hug.

"You stupid stupid fool…" Hosea whispered. Dutch's rage subsided quicker than it came. He winced slightly as Hosea's hug was almost suffocating.

"I…I'm sorry." He stammered. Hosea pulled back and ran a shaky hand through Dutch's hair, pulling him closer, almost too intimate Dutch thought.

"You could've died and…"  He trailed off, red smearing across his palm as his hand slowly moved down Dutch's and pulled him as he turned. He didn't have much choice but to follow, Hosea's grip was practically bruising around his wrist. He jerked him slightly, Dutch walked faster as Hosea lead him upstairs in the saloon. The door creaked behind him as Hosea closed it and it locked. His nostrils flared slightly as he eyed Hose wearily. The older man reached for Dutch's vest unbuttoning it carefully and tossed it to the floor, a noise of disappointment leaving him, making Dutch's brow furrow with a rise of anxiety.

He'd upset Hosea, which didn't happen often… _ever…_

Now that he thought about it as he tugged apart the buttons of his shirt now. His belt hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

"You have any idea how worried I was when it took you hours to get back?" He spoke, his tone didn't raise, that's the thing that made him worry more. He was being awfully quiet and restrained, Dutch didn't know what to do. He was pushed against the bed as Hosea tugged off his boots and jeans, blood leaking on the floor. He sighed softly and closed his eyes as fabric was cut away. He couldn't tell what color his clothes were before as they laid in tatters on the floor. He could smell whiskey before Hosea pressed the rag between his teeth. He knew what was next as he sucked in a sharp inhale of the alcohol as pain flared into his shoulder. Dutch winced as Hosea poured alcohol across his wound and pressed a cloth to it, bandaging it carefully. He hadn't realized he'd been shot until Hosea kept cleaning him up.

"Don't you ever do that again, or you won't be as lucky next time." Hosea shoved his thumb into his hip as white hot pain flashed through him. He bit hard on the rag with a shudder, tensing against him.

"I'm sorry….S…fucking….sorry." Dutch gasped as Hosea pushed a bullet through his already tender skin. Warm trickles stained the bed as Hosea poured another round of alcohol through the next wound, fresher than the last. Dutch dug his heels in the floor and shuddered, forcing his voice down as he sucked on it with a soft groan. He was tired, weary and ashamed of himself. Only Hosea made him capable of that feeling.

"Fuck…" He hissed as the rag dropped against his thigh and leaned his head against the wall. Hosea intricately wove a needle through his skin, Dutch couldn’t feel it from the raw throbbing pain in his side.

"I can't take the one out of your shoulder." He sighed, working on closing the larger hole.

"It'll damage you more to remove it."

"What that's two I carry now?" Dutch raised a brow, chuckling softly. Hosea swatted his shoulder, causing a gasp and a hiss from the younger cowboy. Hosea knew it wasn't wise to pull out bullets unless it was life threatening. This wasn't the first time Dutch got lucky and he was sure it wouldn't be his last. Hosea's posture changed slightly, which really should've been a warning he should have been paying attention to.

"You've know you've been reckless…" Hosea hissed low, Dutch's face shot up and met Hosea's in a heated gaze.

"You still act as foolish as a boy!" He pulled himself up quickly, carrying the ruined clothes to a trash bin.

"Hosea…I'm" Dutch pulled himself up, stumbling slightly.

"A goddamned fool?!" He turned, neck starting to bloom red with anger. Dutch flushed slightly, uncertain what to say to his friend. It had been years since he'd seen him this pissed.

"You're so impulsive…eager to kill." He snapped, moving closer. Dutch inhaled sharply as he pulled him nearer and edged him towards the tub. He sat in the warm water and kept quiet as Hosea ran a rag across his face and neck. It didn't take long for the water to turn a dark reddish brown. The cloth scrubbed along his shoulders, avoiding the bandages and washing him off.

"You know…I'm not stupid." Hosea whispered as he tugged Dutch's foot, washing up his leg carefully. Dutch really didn't have it in him to yell back.

"I never said you were." Dutch answered, looking away, unable to handle Hosea's burning gaze any longer. He couldn't stand it when Hosea was mad…even if he deserved it.

"I know how you feel." Hosea continued, this caused Dutch to look up in surprise at him, his cheeks reddening for the first time in what could've been months.

"What?" Dutch cleared his throat and fumbled for the plug, loosening the chain enough until the darkest of the red was leaving the tub.

"Our kids are safe." Hosea sighed, pouring a drink from the elaborate bottle beside the tub Dutch usually ignored.

"Here…" He held out the glass to him and Dutch downed it in one swallow, causing Hosea to roll his eyes. Dutch waited for him to move so he could get out, but he wasn't going anywhere. Before Dutch could ask anything, Hosea was already pulling him up carefully and Dutch shouted in surprise, the pain in his hip flaring up like a hot iron.

"Fuckkk…" He hissed and grabbed at him.

"Easy…" Hosea smirked, pulling him closer. The cold brush of air against his back suddenly reminded him that he was completely naked and suddenly very much aware of that fact.

"Please tell me you've got extra clothes." Dutch huffed.

"You think I'd cut up the only ones you've got?" Hosea smirked, squeezing his shoulder softly, getting a gasp and a growl from him in return.

"You're happy I got shot." Dutch grumbled,

"So you can pinch and poke me." He frowned.

"Don't be such a child." Hosea tsked him and sat him down. Dutch looked away and slowly dropped his hands in his lap and took deep slow breaths, thankful that both injuries were completely superficial.

"I know you're old enough to know better." Hosea redressed his wounds, looking them over and stitched the hole in his shoulder. Dutch leaned his forehead against his arm and let out a soft whimper.

"Now you're acting like Arthur." Hosea smirked and carefully tied the last stitch. He dropped a clean union suit and eased his left foot in, followed by the right. His hands were gentle, always gentle. Dutch knew when he was mad because that would change in a flicker. He rose slightly as Hosea pulled the hem over his hips and held out the sleeves for him.

"I'm trying." He eyed him and winced, getting one arm in.

"You're being such a baby." Hosea teased with a chuckle. Dutch glared furiously at him. He pressed a palm to Dutch's cheek again, causing his heart rate to pick up, much to his surprise.

"So impulsive." Hosea sighed. Dutch could already feel his face heat up, that childish crush he had years ago surfacing once more. He drowned it the day Hosea met Bessie. He knew when something wouldn't work. He calculated and conducted everything in his mind, making plans and executing them to as much succession as he could muster…that is until Hosea's hand delved slowly under the hem of his union suit

"Aahh…" Dutch's deep voice rang out, in shock.

"You want this, don't you?" Hosea whispered in his ear as he pressed soft kisses along his earlobe. Dutch stiffened instantly in his palm as he drew it slowly upward, causing shallow thrusts into Hosea's curled fingers.

"Been wanting it for even longer I'm sure." Hosea whispered. Dutch leaned forward and kissed him hard, gripping the back of his head, tugging him closer. Hosea's breath caught in his throat as Dutch widened his mouth deepening the kiss with such eagerness.

_Bessie never kissed him like this…_

Dutch pulled him closer, fumbling for Hosea's belt and jeans too.

"Dutch…" Hosea gasped, but Dutch was already tugging his jeans down his hips. He yanked open the buttons of his pale blue suit, digging his own hand in, scooting closer towards the edge of the bed.

"Hosea.." He whispered against his mouth, licking across his cheek. The high pitch moan that left Hosea's mouth pushed Dutch over the edge. He used his legs to pull Hosea closer, his other hand ripping away buttons. His legs hugged Hosea's hips and he moved against him, gaining that perfect friction; eliciting a groan from Dutch.

"Jesus Dutch.." Hosea leaned over him as his hips rolled against Dutch's. The younger cowboy grinned and bit down softly against his neck, sucking languidly across the salty skin.

"Hnnnn." Hosea whimpered against him and gripped both of them in the same hand. Dutch gasped right in his ear, husky and deep, even though he was ten years younger. Hosea grinned against his mouth and moved his hand in slow even strokes. The noises he made were so surreal, it was almost unbelievable. The soft gasping noises Dutch made as his hips rocked faster against him, Hosea eased him back against the bed with his other hand.

"So eager.." Hosea smirked.

"Shut up." Dutch moaned and jerked slightly when Hosea thumbed across the tip of him, working slowly back down. His hips shook slightly as he stared up at him with a dark half-lidded gaze. He bit his lower lip, those dark brows lifting in surprise as Hosea moved against him too, the friction and heat being almost too much, Dutch was trembling.

"God, look at you." Hosea purred, making Dutch's face heat up under all the praise he wasn't quite used to. He worked his hand faster, giving him what he wanted. Dutch swore and got completely breathless, making little soft whimpers as he started to tense against Hosea.

"Fuck." Hosea tightened his grip, moving his hand harder between them and Dutch cried out, Hosea slowed his movements, relishing the noises spilling from Dutch's mouth.

"That's it boy." Hosea stiffened as his hand went slick and warm with Dutch's release.

"I…want." Dutch stammered and closed his own hand around Hosea, jerking him off harder, faster than what he was used to.

"Shit Dutch I'm…" Hosea gasped as Dutch brought his palm in quick movements until he was shuddering from being over stimulated, wet with heat. He didn't stop moving his own hand until Hosea dropped against his chest and buried his face into his hair, breathing in the sandalwood scent of him, still slightly tinged with copper. Slowly, their hands gripped damply at the sheets as they both adjusted.

"I…Hosea.." Dutch panted.

"I left Bessie…" Hosea answered the question before Dutch could even think to ask it. Dutch inhaled in surprise, still reeling from what they'd just done. All his fantasies never amounted to what just transpired. It shocked him, how easily they fell in together. His head turned and rested his cheek against Hosea's shoulder. His eyes closing for only a moment…and then he was drifting off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hosea started it... I blame him. The babies are okay....


	9. Under the Starry Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys heal up while Hosea and Dutch make their next plan. Arthur learns Dutch isn't the only one he's infatuated with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go Arthur.... <3

Arthur stirred and blinked at the soft lights in the room. He turned his cheek and saw Micah's pale, but still alive face. He turned and pulled himself up slowly, pain threading through his upper arm as he turned and gradually got up from the bed, easing beside Micah and pressing his head against his shoulder. A soft murmur came from the other kid as he gently lifted his arm, placing against Arthur's hip.

"I'm sorry." Arthur whispered.

"It's okay." Micah groaned slightly,

"At least I'm alive." He grinned, but the emotion hadn't reached his eyes. Arthur curled up closer, nuzzling him. Micah seemed fine with it or he was in too much pain to protest any additional movement. Arthur felt himself drift off again, much more peacefully this time.

 

Dutch muffled a groan as he sat up, rubbing his face and then reality slapped him hard in the face. He looked down to see his union suit half off and it dawned on him it hadn't been a dream at all and had very much happened. His face reddened with the noises he'd probably had made. It had to have been some kind of mishap, he wasn't sure, but when he looked over the bed beside him was empty. He exhaled shakily and fastened the rest of the buttons up the front of his union suit, pulling on the new shirt Hosea had brought with shaking hands. He stepped into his boots and fastened the buckle of his belt and holster. He straightened his hat and made his way across the street to the doctor's office. Finding Hosea sitting in the front with a book perched against his lap, calm and collected as ever. Dutch's pulse picked up without warning. He ignored it and moved closer, sitting beside him.

"How are they?" Dutch whispered, his hand raising up, almost knocking the book from the older man's hands if it meant his answer would come quicker.

"We will be able to take them home in twenty minutes." Hosea said without looking up from his book.

"I want to see them now." Dutch went past him and went to the back, ignoring the nurse and going to the room he left the night before. Finding them both on a single bed brought a smile to his face. He stepped quietly closer, running a palm slowly through Arthur's hair and then Micah's with the other one. Micah smiled and leaned against his hand.

"Are you both okay?" Dutch whispered as Hosea spoke with the doctor.

"Yeah, but it hurts." Micah sighed.

"Same." Arthur looked down and Dutch could see his wrist was bandaged on the left and his whole right arm was in a sling, also wrapped up.

"Damn kiddos." Dutch sighed and helped both of them up.

"Your hands?!" Micah turned and eyed Arthur.

"I umm…yeah think one is broken." Arthur grumbled and swayed slightly, high off whatever pain medications the doctor had given them; Micah giggled at Arthur, unaware he was doing the same. Hosea helped Arthur through the door and eventually scooped him up instead in his arms out to the horses. Dutch looked at Micah and rose a brow at him.

"I don't need to be carried." Micah scoffed, swaying slightly and stiffened in surprise as Dutch eased him carefully in his arms, despite his protests.

"You're a tough little shit, but you got shot, so just shut up and let me take care of you." Dutch narrowed his eyes, but there was definitive amusement in them.

"As I recall, so did you." Hosea shouted over his shoulder.

"He what?!" Arthur winced slightly, eyeing Dutch over his shoulder.

"Goddamit." Dutch muttered under his breath while Micah grinned at him.

"You got shot too?" He whispered. Dutch scoffed, seeing the amusement in Micah's face.

"Obviously." He grumbled as he eased him in the saddle of The Count. Dutch winced as he sat behind him and adjusted himself more comfortably.

"Dutch, where are we going?" Arthur eyed him.

"Is the camp ruined?" Micah looked at both Dutch and Hosea.

"Sorry to let you down, but everything has been trashed." Hosea sighed and led Silver Dollar along the worn out path, The Count in tow with him. Dutch clicked his spurs as the Count moved quicker. He steadied Micah as they went through a shallow river, nearing a town called Rhodes.

"I like this place." Micah grinned as the soft light of noon lifted across the bright red barn as they traveled through it, the horse's hooves clacking against the wood in a soft staccato of beats Arthur found comforting. They rounded by the butcher, dropping off pelts from both cougars and a significant amount of whitetail and buck. Dutch pocketed the cash in his coat as they continued on towards a small thicket of trees. It was close to town, but far enough to keep the noise out. Dutch dropped down, gently pulling Micah down; he did the same for Arthur as the boy slightly limped towards him. He smirked and leaned an arm underneath his arm, supporting most of his weight.

"You've gotten bigger kiddo." Dutch chuckled, getting a slight rise of pink on his cheeks. He ruffled his hair, earning a grin from the boy. He helped him against the bedroll Hosea stretched out moments before. He helped Micah sit beside him and turned away as he started unpacking the bare essentials they had carried in their satchels.

Micah eyed them and turned, glancing at Arthur.

"You break your hands?" He smirked.

"I punched one of them, but it didn't hurt him as much as it did me." Arthur sighed, nursing the more injured arm with his bandaged hand.

"And I got this arm caught under…I don't even know what it was." He added.

"Guess you can't jerk off then." Micah grinned as they both laughed and winced at the same time.

_Not that he even had the chance to anymore…or the courage…_

He leaned his head against Micah's shoulder as Dutch helped Hosea make a fire with surrounding logs near the edge of town.

"We have enough supplies to last a few days, but then we need to restock what  we've lost." Dutch settled across the fire, warming his hands.

"You both need to rest and get better, alright?" Hosea sat beside them. He crushed up herbs with the mortar and pestal; the soft grinding noise made Micah flinch a little. Dutch started heating up the big game meat over the fire with a dark bladed knife, the twin of the one he gave Arthur, which he was still thankful that he had, though the pocket watch was gone as far as he could tell. Dutch assured him they'd be able to find another sometime soon. Hosea mixed the herbs with the meat and laughed while Dutch ate his plain.

"Hey, where’s mine?" Dutch mouthed at his friend.

"Impatient…" Hosea tsked, getting a slight reaction out of Dutch. He snatched a handful of herbs from Hosea's bowl and shoved it in his mouth with a triumphant grin. Micah winced, but couldn't stop laughing. The tension and loss slowly started to slip away as each of them counted their savings and figured out what they could afford.

"I can cover a new percolator if you can get more tents." Hosea scribbled on a sheet of paper what they needed.

"Pans." Arthur shrugged, remembering how good the eggs were that Hosea had made for him.

"Guess for tonight, we'll sleep under the stars." Hosea smirked and started scooting the bed rolls together as the sun slowly started to sink low in the sky. Dutch turned and stared at it with a slight smirk. Arthur was reading the list when he glanced up, seeing the amber light in Dutch's eyes, still full of hope…freedom, it caused a shudder to run through Arthur; he had to force himself to look away. They sat together, passing around the bread rolls Hosea rationed out. Dutch even gave them both a piece of candy from the bag he pillaged off one of the gang members.

"Are we gonna be okay Dutch?" Micah looked up at him.

"We will always be okay, as long as we stick together." Dutch smirked. They joked around the fire until the sky started to darken. Hosea checked Micah's bandage and carefully applied a clean one to it, rubbing some kind of herb Arthur didn't know the name on it.

Dutch scooted closer, feeling carefully along Arthur's arm, there wasn't too much discomfort, but he was already making him a new sling from one of his own shirts. Arthur would be a liar if he said he wasn't looking forward to breathing in the scent of it once they were asleep. He smiled at him.

Dutch looked around as saw that the others were too busy; he scooted closer towards him.

"You said something." Dutch whispered low.

"You called me Pa." He eyed him softly. Arthur's breath caught in his throat, afraid if he'd crossed some kind of line.

"I'm sorry." Arthur mumbled, mind still fuzzy from the medications he was given.

"I'm not mad." Dutch wrapped a careful arm around him and held him close, taking care not to put pressure on his arm. Arthur melted against his embrace, heat reaching his face, but his head was cast downward so he couldn't see. He flushed slightly, watching Dutch grind up his own herbs for Arthur.

"What's that stuff?" Arthur eyed him.

"A health cure." He smirked, twisting his wrist, combining them.

"You'll drink them when I'm done." He spoke as he warmed it over the fire. Arthur wanted to learn how to make everything. He grinned and eyed him before leaning his head against his shoulder after Dutch had soaked a new bandage in the solution and tied it around Arthur's hand.

"Thank you."  Arthur smiled and glanced over at Micah, fast asleep against Hosea's side. He was covering him up with a blanket.

"Hey, got you something." Dutch pulled a familiar book from his black satchel, causing a shocked gasp from Arthur.

"You found it???" He cooed, then suddenly felt very self-conscience over it, remembering Dutch's face had been drawn in it.

"Your drawings are beautiful." Dutch handed it carefully to him. Arthur's face went beet red as he accepted the book.

"Thank you." Arthur could hear his own heart thudding in his ears as he looked away. Dutch pulled himself up and helped Arthur to his feet.

"He lost his gun." Hosea eyed Dutch, a soft chuckle leaving him.

"They need decent belts." Dutch responded.

"Yes." Hosea grabbed a blanket for Arthur as he moved closer.

"I umm…have to go to the bathroom." Arthur flushed slightly and turned around, heading to a tree farther off from sight. He reached down and pawed at the button of his pants and tried pinching them open and failed miserably.

"Dammit." He whispered under his breath and let out a frustrated groan. He couldn't get his jeans open, how was he going to get his union suit even unbuttoned. Pain flared through his wrapped fingers, it was more annoying than anything. He leaned his forehead against the tree and grumbled.

"You need any help?" He could hear is was Dutch's unmistakable voice.

"No!" He shouted back without thinking. There was no way he could emotionally handle Dutch even near him with any part of his own clothing unbuttoned or off. He was far too self-conscience for that. He could hear soft crunches of footsteps behind him. Arthur froze, too nervous to even look over his shoulder.

"I'll help you okay?" Hosea's soft voice tried consoling Arthur.

"I umm…ok…okay." Arthur stammered. His hands reached down, unfastening Arthur's jeans from behind. Arthur winced slightly, feeling indirect pressure against his hips.

_Oh fuck…His hands…_

Arthur inhaled deep and slow as Hosea unfastened the buttons of his union suit.

"Okay, you can go now." Hosea sighed softly. probably not thinking much about it, but Arthur was mentally losing it. He was… _not on purpose….or how you want._

Arthur mentally scolded himself and avoided Hosea's look.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying." He mumbled.

"Take your time." He nodded,

"Do you need a minute?" He asked. Arthur nodded, unable to properly form words. Hosea stepped away, giving him privacy. Arthur bit his inner cheek as he tried relaxing until he was able to go. It was almost too close. He was already half hard most of the time and hated it. He wished he was as easy going about it as Micah or Dutch, but just couldn't bring himself to that level. After what was probably the longest seven minutes of his life, even when he was getting taken away by the O' Driscoll's. He finally managed to relieve himself. He fumbled with it, trying to tuck himself back into his jeans until he heard the rustle of leaves behind him. Hosea was already helping again before he could force the question from his lips. Hosea's hands were so gentle.

_I bet he'd be a gentle lover…_

Arthur shook the thought away before it could fester, but he was already thinking about his hands already as they closed the buttons of his red union suit, followed by his jeans.

"There." Hosea wiped his hands on his jeans as headed back to camp, leaving Arthur flushed, bewildered, and a little aroused. He rolled his eyes in defeat; first Dutch, now Hosea, who was next? He frowned at the way his mind was going as he scooted dejectedly back to his sleeping cot. He fought sleep a little until Dutch got tired of watching him struggle mentally and started reading to him. It took four minutes for him to fall asleep beside Micah.

Dutch got up carefully and tip toed across the smoldering fire and sat back down, tossing bones in the fire to clean some of them up from the remains of dinner. Hosea eased back down beside him.

"We need to talk about what happened." Hosea whispered softly.

"No..No we do not." Dutch almost snapped back quickly. He wasn't ready for Hosea to say no; wasn't ready for his heart to be gutted and left wide open and raw. He's experienced that once in his life when he lost his mother, he wasn't about to let it happen again because Hosea lost his control.

"Hey…" Hosea gently grabbed his chin, forcing Dutch to look at him. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, too afraid of what would come next.

"It's fine." Dutch exhaled shakily.

"It's not fine. I'm sorry if I pushed you." Hosea muttered.

"I left…well, if I'm honest… Bessie left me." He sighed, Dutch turned, eyeing him.

"Why?" Dutch answered, eyeing him with slight surprise.

"Well….because of you." Hosea dropped his hand.

"Me?" Dutch scoffed.

"She thought I loved you more than her." He continued.

"What? No!" Dutch hissed under his breath.

"Shhh…it's not that, she just felt that I would always choose you over her." Hosea kept on,

"To be honest, I really think there was more truth to her words than I thought." Dutch eyed him beside the fire, shadows flickering across his features in the soft warm glow.

"I think I would have kept choosing you regardless." Hosea looped an arm around Dutch's shoulder's, pulling him closer, much like he did when he was Arthur's age.

"I'm sorry." Dutch sighed, but his head was tilted up and pressed into a soft kiss. Dutch inhaled slowly and kissed him back tentatively. He pulled back slowly, eyes those soft brown eyes as he pulled back.

"Not in front of either of them, understand?" Dutch fisted the front of Hosea's shirt.

"I know that." Dutch swatted at Hosea, seeming much like himself.

"You knock that off Dutch Van Derlinde or I'll take you over this knee and spank you." Hosea warned. Dutch visibly shuddered before he could stop it from happening as the redness in his cheeks darkened. Hosea was the only one that brought that out in him.

"I'd like to see you try." Dutch growled and pulled himself up, crossing the fire and lying down with his hat over his face.

Hosea stepped out the fire.

"Maybe I will." He whispered the threat under his breath.

 


	10. Shut Your Mouth and Run Me Like a River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hosea coaxes Dutch from his woes and...well, just read it....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the amazing comments everyone; I absolutely adore each and every one of them. This did require research on manly things too. The odd research I've had to do for this story; Google must think I'm a weird pervert by now...
> 
> You are welcome!

Dutch stirred, unable to sleep from the threat from Hosea. He wasn't sure if he wanted it or not, but the idea of Hosea doing that to him brought out the wildest of fantasies. He tugged at the blanket and looked up at the twinkling stars around him. It was still dark out, but there was no way he'd be getting any sleep. He was tempted to slap Hosea for that comment, but he knew that it would only result in his getting his ass handed to him. He rolled his eyes and sat up, meeting the man's gaze from across his cot, heat flared across his face. For the first time in his life, Dutch didn't have a plan. He didn't know what the fuck he was doing. He'd been with more than a few women, but _this_?

No…He hadn't expected this at all.

"Get some sleep." Hosea whispered across the camp. Dutch sighed and laid back down, wishing Hosea had made this move while it was just the two of them. All that time…he could've been… _They…._ could've been. He frowned and turned over, knowing Hosea's stare was on his back. Somehow he just knew it. He fell into a fitful sleep forty minutes later.

Over the next few weeks, they'd take turns watching camp while Dutch or Hosea stayed with the youngins, keeping Arthur and Micah safe. Hosea mostly argued with Dutch over which of them would go, but Hosea often won that battle, much to Dutch's surprise. Arthur healed up faster, his arm slowly gathered back strength as Dutch helped him lift small things, like pans and even stacks of books until he didn't wince when he handed someone a book. Dutch sat up, eyeing Arthur with a smirk, the kid's face flushed slightly and he grinned back. He ruffled his hair and tugged him into a hug.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you ever again." Dutch squeezed him hard, earning a chuckle from him.

"What about me?!" Micah pouted, diving for him. Dutch laughed and hugged both of them against his chest, barely enough room for both of them now.

"Can we go hunting soon?" Arthur asked, full of excitement. Micah's expression brightened as they both eyed Dutch, who was keen on giving into their little pleas. He couldn't resist and they both knew it.

"Fine, but you stay with one of us the entire time, okay?" Dutch eyed them both. Arthur grinned and hugged at Micah, both of them over-excited to be included.

"I wanna hunt too." Micah sighed as he carefully peeked at his worn bandage; which he managed to practically destroy by the end of each day, no matter how many times Hosea has repaired or replaced that very day.

"None of you are going anywhere." Hosea growled as he entered their little camp. They all quieted down and watched as Hosea removed the pelts and meat from his horse and satchel.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble that would cause?" Hosea snapped at Dutch, clearly irritated with him, but more concerned for his safety, he doubted whether Dutch would know the difference.

"I'm sorry." Dutch whispered back, the tenderness in his shoulder hadn't eased up, but the one in his hip was feeling worse. Hosea shooed the boys to the tent for some much needed rest even though the sun was still fairly high in the soft warm glow of evening. Hosea pulled Dutch closer, easing open the top half of his union suit to look over his wounds.

"You know…you might be the leader of our gang, but don't you ever forget the one that taught you." Hosea whispered, meeting Dutch's soft gaze.

"I know that." Dutch whispered back as Hosea slowly removed the bandages and replaced them with clean new ones with the upmost care, covering them with the same minty oil as the last one. Hosea pressed a cool palm to Dutch's forehead, checking every night and day for fevers or temperature drops. It was starting to wear him a little thin over the weeks coasting by without much thought. He wanted Dutch to open up about what they did, even if he denied him, part of him did say yes. Part of him widened his legs… _for him._

Hosea exhaled shakily as he ran a hand through that soft dark hair. Bringing the slightly off scent closer.

"Dutch how long has it been since you've bathed?" Hosea whispered in his ear, causing the other man to stiffen slightly.

"I don't know." Dutch mumbled, feeling suddenly self conscience of himself.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up then." Hosea sighed as he already started working on the front of Dutch's shirt. He glanced down at Hosea's hands as they slid underneath his suit, rubbing soft circles against the lean side of his uninjured hip.

"Here," Hosea whispered as he slowly undressed Dutch as the sun sunk lower in the sky. He unbuckled his belt and carefully set down his holster and bandolier. Dutch flushed slightly, looking up, meeting his heated gaze as the subtle fire inside him ignite like an inferno.

"Hosea." Dutch exhaled shakily as he nodded back and the space between them closed. His warm lips felt velvet smooth against own. Dutch grabbed the front of Hosea's vest, tugging it open with haste, until Hosea's hands gently grasped his own. Dutch exhaled shakily, meeting his eyes again, worried that he was the one that crossed a line this time, but as he tugged off his boots, Dutch couldn't bring himself to care. He lifted his hips, easing out of his jeans and grinned. Hosea swatted at Dutch's hands, grabbing for his belt and yanking open his pants. Dutch hissed softly as he sat up and tugged Hosea's union suit off. He helped Dutch up as they stumbled through the darkness towards the river. Dutch grinned, feeling freer than had felt in a long time. Hosea smiled back and eased him towards deeper water.

"Oh quit." Dutch swatted at him.

"You love when I dote on you." Hosea teased. Dutch could feel heat gather at his cheeks as Hosea started sinking his hands in the water, gathering a handful of wet coolness and sloshing it across Dutch's legs. His leader hissed slightly, shocked from the cold and flushing slightly.

"You're alright." Hosea smirked, easing him down on a rock.

"What about you?" Dutch eyed him, the water leveled up to his knees.

"You want me to?" Hosea whispered in the same tone he had weeks before that made Dutch's teeth on edge.

_Didn't he say that before touching him… there?_

He didn't trust his voice to keep from breaking so he only nodded. Hosea moved closer and dipped his bandana in the water, using it to clean up Dutch's arms. He stiffened as Hosea washed up his legs, soap bubbled up from the fabric in his hand. Dutch snatched it quickly, wincing from the effort and narrowed his eyes when Hosea looked concerned at him.

"I'm fine." He snapped, swatting Hosea with the bandana and grinning. The older cowboy was surprised, though given Dutch's antics, he should've seen it coming. He moved closer and gripped the back of Dutch's hair, pulling him closer as his leader sucked in a sharp inhale. He dropped the bandana with a wet slap noise against the surface of the dark water, sinking his fingers through that slicked back hair. Their kiss deepened as Dutch's mouth widened over his again, tongue running hot across Hosea's cheek. The blonde shuddered from the contact, earning a grin from his leader. Dutch felt a sharp slap against his backside, eliciting a gasp, much louder than he intended to. Hosea was running both hands down his flank now, earning another shudder. Hosea closed his palms slow and hard against the firm skin. Dutch's brows rose as he whimpered in surprise as his arousal pressed firmly against Hosea's thigh.

"Fuck…" Dutch hissed and sucked hungrily along Hosea's neck, biting down softly; now it was Hosea's turn to gasp. He muffled it and glanced across the camp…. _silence…_

He looked back at Dutch as he leaned him against a smooth rock and slowly ran the bandana up his thighs. His leader hissed, slapping his hand away and sank his fingers into his hair, easing him closer.

_Granting him permission…_

Hosea leaned over him, kissing him almost angrily, heated,… _need._

Dutch sucked in a soft noise as Hosea dropped lower catching a dark nipple between his lips. His hot mouth sent shivers down Dutch's spine. His hips curved up slightly, needing more.

"P…please Hosea." Dutch whined softly against his ear. Hosea scooped him up slowly, cleaned him up enough, and gathered him back to their unoccupied tent. Dutch stumbled back against the cot, grabbing at Hosea, kissing any part of him he could reach. The older cowboy panted against his ear as he fumbled across scattered belongings, pulling back with a quick snap of his forearm. Dutch looked down, eyeing the tin of pomade as his face heated up, causing his heartbeat to thud in his ears. He was letting this happen, needed it to happen.

"I trust you." Dutch whispered against Hosea's cheek as his hand dipped low between Dutch's thighs.

"Just relax, it'll be easier." Hosea purred back, rubbing his cheek against Dutch's with the upmost affection. Dutch couldn't help but peek between Hosea's legs at his uncut… _fuck._

Dutch flushed slightly, looking warily up at him.

"Hey." Hosea whispered, gently closing a hand around Dutch's hardness, causing him to shudder and lift his hips up slightly. His gaze flickered back up to his face. He wasn't stupid about how this would probably work, but that didn't make him any less nervous about how big Hosea was, not that Dutch was average; none of the women complained, but _fuck…_

"Just relax for me Van Derlinde." Hosea coaxed another sigh out of him as his slick hand ran slowly up his shaft and he sucked softly along his ear, tugging it softly in his teeth.

"Fuck." Dutch gasped as more warm fingers eased slowly downward. He flinched slightly, lifting his leg against Hosea's hip. He felt warm tingles as Hosea eased a single digit between his cheeks, teasing along the darker shade of skin. Dutch sucked in another breath and shuddered, his other heel dug slowly into the opposite hip. He felt pressure and warmth as Hosea gently probed a digit slowly into him. Dutch's thick brows furrowed as he exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. It felt…different, painful, but nothing compared to his recent injuries. He curved his finger upward, slowly stretching him wider.

"Fuck!" Dutch hissed, tensing. Hosea pressed soft tantalizing kisses along his cheek, whispering soft words in his ear.

"You just need to relax, you're way too tense right now." He spoke softly, stroking him with firmer movements down his shaft. Dutch whimpered and moved slowly against him as Hosea pushed in another digit, widening them.

"Ahh!" Dutch bit back the noise and shuddered against him. His knee jerked slightly as he moved a little into his closed fist around him.

"Fuck Hosea." Dutch panted, starting to ease up against his fingers. He focused on pushing in and pulling apart slowly as his fingers drew back, slowly bringing Dutch to a breathless panting. He pushed them in deeper, curving them up just so…

"Hosea!" Dutch gasped and jerked against him in surprise as he brushed against his prostate with surprising accuracy. Dutch almost growled, bearing down on his fingers again with a frustrated whimper. Hosea grinned wider and tensed his forearm, eliciting another gasp from his leader.

"Fuck…hnnn…" Dutch hissed, shuddering again as he pulsed in his stroking grip. White dots dotted against Hosea's hand as he widened his fingers, pulling back again slowly. Dutch swore under his breath at the loss, just getting used to it.

"Fuck…why did you st-ahh!" Dutch shuddered as Hosea leaned over him, his slick shaft rutting slow and smooth between his cheeks.

"Oh God." Dutch exhaled shakily, staring nervously back at him. His grip on Dutch's shaft tightened and moved faster, making Dutch rise off the cot slightly. Hosea palmed himself and eased against him, pressing against that puckered skin until he felt the soft resistance yield and hot pulsing heat surrounded the head of him, making Hosea gasp as they stared at each other.

"Fuckkkkkk…" Dutch sighed, his brows knitting together as he winced, taking it in stride.

"Shhh…relax Dutch." Hosea purred, shuddering against him. He fisted the blonde's hair and kissed him hard enough to bruise. Hosea pushed slowly deeper, relishing the thick pulsing of Dutch's tightness.

_All his…_

Hosea rolled his hips forward slowly, eliciting a moan and then a soft sob from his leader. His grip eased around his shaft, but never stopped moving until he felt the soft heat of Dutch's hips flush against his own. He lowered one hand, grabbing Dutch's hip and tilting it up slightly as leaned forward, able to fully hilt him this way. Dutch shuddered and gripped Hosea's shoulders as he started up a slow, but steady rhythm. The blonde groaned over him, moving in very deliberate thrusts as he picked up his pace. Each breath came out as a gasp from Dutch. He looked so perfect underneath him. Shaking with need and so hot inside. Hosea kissed him harder and bucked upward hard without meaning to, but the noise that left Dutch set Hosea on edge. He snatched Dutch's bandana off one of the piles of clothes and shoved it between his teeth. Dutch mouthed in surprise, but his teeth clenched the fabric between them as Hosea moved harder into him. He muffled gasps as Hosea slowed his thrusts and gripped his shoulder, angling him up just a little until he hit that sharp sweet spot, causing Dutch's whimpers to get shrill as his eyes rolled back in utter ecstasy. Hosea pistoned his hips forward, focusing on that perfect angle as Dutch tensed and shuddered underneath him. His heels dug into the small of Hosea's back. He could felt Dutch tensing and getting tighter; pulsing, each one stronger than that last. His hand dropped from Dutch's shaft while his leader whined against the fabric, trying to glare, but Hosea moved into that perfect position and hit it dead on.

"Ahh!" Dutch groaned as they both moved harder. His fingernails sank into Hosea's shoulders as he growled, pushing himself upward hard, eager to meet his thrusts. He moved slower, making Dutch swear as he pulsed faster around him.

"Fuck Dutch…" Hosea panted. His hips canted slow and deep, Dutch groaned under him, tensing him as his nails dug deeper. Hosea could feel the quick tugs around his core, knowing Dutch was closer than he thought, jerking underneath him.

"D…Dutch…" Hosea moved in slower deep thrusts, hilting that perfect spot each time their hips connected.

"Fuck, just…" Dutch groaned.

"Not yet….come on Dutch." Hosea huffed, urged his hips forward. His fingers tightened in Dutch's dark curls and jerked slightly as he cried out, muffling it with the fabric as he whined low and long, which slowly evolved into sharp panting gasps. Hosea pressed his forehead against his, fucking into him faster as a slew of curses dripped from his leader's mouth. His teeth clenched together as he winced and jerked against him, when Hosea's palm gripped his shaft, warm wetness slicked against his fingertips. The wet slapping noises their bodies made caused a rush of heat against Dutch's face, but Hosea, ever so stalwart, held him closer and grinded his hips into him, Dutch cried out as wetness dotted across his face as he inhaled a shaky sob and shuddered hard, his climax cutting Hosea's silence away with a groan into his ear. Fuck he was coming and it never felt so goddamned good before. He could feel his pulse in his head as rainbow dots flickered above his peripheral vision and he was gasping, the fabric dropping from his chin, now dark and wet from his mouth.

"Hosea-aahhh!" Dutch moaned as his thrusts slowed down, staying deep, relishing each tug from within his leader. He could feel him twitch inside him; such a foreign yet blissful feeling. Dutch's hands slowly unclenched the skin that had been trapped underneath. He'd torn up Hosea's arms, not realizing how hard he had dug his nails in. His hands slowly wove down Hosea's back as soft sob left him. Hosea licked across his neck, kissing soft and slow; so tender. Dutch sighed against his mouth and kissed him back slow and sloppily. He exhaled shakily, seeing stars shimmer through the roof of the tent. His hands threaded slowly through damp blonde hair as Hosea purred against his mouth. Dutch sighed, his head dropping back in panting defeat.

"Holy fuck Hosea." He huffed, earning a grin from the older cowboy. He pulled back slowly, feeling too hot and drained to protest the slight tenderness he was feeling. Hosea eased beside him, taking in slow breaths of the sultry scent in the air. Dutch turned his cheek, pressing his face against the hollow where Hosea's neck and shoulder met. He laid there until his breath eventually caught up to him. Hosea's fingers circled softly in Dutch's hair as he kneaded it tenderly. He turned slightly, seeing Dutch's eyes slowly droop until he'd nodded off against his warm shoulder.

"Dutch.." Hosea sighed softly, kissing his forehead. The real reason Bessie left him. He was very much in love with him. Maybe by some female intuition she just knew… He had no idea, but this, he had no way of explaining how perfect it was. He fit him like a glove and a goddamn dangerous one at that. He eyed the deep scratches across his chest and shoulders.

_Fuck…_

Hosea smirked, knew Dutch was a hot-blooded killer, but he was downright sinful underneath him. He knew he was just getting started; too fixated and obsessed to ever let him go again. He just prayed Dutch wouldn't turn a blind eye to him once morning dawned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn Dutch...Hosea done wore you out, maybe he will take up that threat, what'd y'all think?


	11. Far from Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dutch and Hosea take the boys out to find their horses, among other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support my lovely readers! Sorry, I had to take a week break from vacation. Now, it's time to hop back in that writing saddle, enjoy y'all!!!!

Dutch turned slightly, his eyes fluttered open as the evening slowly came back to him. He sat up and felt a sharp pang in his hip that radiated south.

"Fuck." He muttered, pawing at his satchel and cramming several tabs of cocaine gum and eased carefully out of his cot. Hosea did a number on him, but he was pretty sure he was the one that had asked for it. He rubbed along his hip carefully, the muscles were tender, but not unbearable; just a sore reminder of how thick Hosea really was. He smirked at the thought as he slipped on his union suit and jeans. He snapped the buckle of his holster on and left his shirt half open as he emerged from the tent.

He wasn't grinning…. _okay he was…_

He sat across the fire, seeing the others eating along with Micah's over the top chatter about something they'd run from in the previous town they visited. Hosea handed him a bowl of stew. Dutch looked up and met soft molasses eyes that made his breath catch in his throat and his heart hammer instinctively in his ears.

_Whoa…_

Dutch exhaled softly as he took the bowl and avoided his stare and ate with his head down. He hadn't expected this kind of reaction, but it was happening before he could stop it. Micah went on about a hunting story he had gone on with his father in the past.

"It was huge!" He muttered over a mouthful of food. Arthur eyed Dutch and chewed slowly, only half-listening to Micah's story.

"You okay?" Arthur whispered to Dutch under his breath.

"Fine." Dutch answered curtly and ate in silence. Arthur noticed his mood seemed off, but he knew not to pry. Arthur had healed up fairly quickly, but Micah was still on the mend, but Dutch…he never spoke a word of his injuries, but they seemed to be bothering him more than usual today; or so it looked that way.

"We're going hunting today." Dutch announced. Both boys looked up with excitement plastered on their faces.

"Yes, both of you this time." Dutch smirked; their excitement was palpable.

"My father never let me hunt on my own." Micah grumbled.

"That's what sets us apart." Hosea smirked.

"Oh a lot more than that." Arthur grinned, playfully elbowing Micah. The blonde kid grinned excitedly. Dutch rolled his eyes, slowly feeling back to normal. He needed to be careful not to let his emotions get the best of him.

"You sure everyone is okay to go?" Hosea whispered to Dutch once the boys went to their tent to get ready.

"Yes, I think they can handle themselves. You have to give them space and something to prove." His cheeks flushed slightly as their gazes locked.

"Dutch, don't let what happened bother you. It doesn't change how I feel about you either." Hosea whispered.

"I know." He answered.

"It doesn't make you any less of a man either." Hosea muttered as Dutch cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Don't start talking like half the people in Rhodes." Dutch snapped low.

"I'm not, I'm just saying it's nothing to be ashamed of." Hosea continued.

"I'm not ashamed!" Dutch hissed under his breath.

"Then what are you afraid of?" Hosea eyed him. Dutch's face heated up as he stared back

_Afraid I feel far too much…. too soon…_

Dutch looked away for a moment. Hosea scanned the camp with a quick glance and grabbed Dutch by the chin and turned his face towards him and planted a soft kiss against Dutch's lips, earning a hiss of surprise from him. Dutch's fingers sunk into the front of his shirt as a muffled sigh left him.

Arthur turned and picked up his shirt, shaking the dust from the other day and slid it back on easily, ignoring the translucent dust clouded around the left of him. He tucked out from under the tent and looked up and his face paled. His cerulean eyes widened in shock as he ducked down, hiding his form as he saw Hosea kissing Dutch. His knees went weak as he wantonly stared. Too afraid to move, but too entranced to look away. He swallowed thickly, seeing how Hosea's hand ran up the curve of Dutch's hip. He muffled a whine as he watched them slowly pull away from each other. Hosea's mouth was moving, but Arthur couldn't tell what he was saying. His mind was whirring from the image burned into his mind… _his heart_.

He couldn't believe the two people he cared about most were… _in love?_ He wasn't sure but whatever it was… _it was beautiful…_

Arthur fastened the buttons of his shirt. Maybe the reason Dutch was acting differently this morning was because of Hosea, maybe they'd just figured this out.

"You ready?" Micah ran up behind him. Arthur jumped in surprise and looked at Hosea and Dutch as they discreetly  put distance between themselves.

 _Apparently trying to be quiet about what was going on between them._ Arthur would take that secret to his grave, even though it wasn't even his to keep. It was precious nonetheless. He nodded and fastened the buttons on his blue shirt as he followed Micah to the middle of camp. He glanced at Dutch and they shared a look that Arthur wasn't sure what to make of it. He couldn't read his expression, but the awkwardness didn't last long. They slowly started to clean up around camp. Hosea told them to get their rifles ready and clean them as he put out the fire. Arthur grinned knowingly as he ran an oiled rag across the barrel of his gun. Micah made inappropriate gestures as he cleaned the barrel of his own rifle. Arthur blushed and grinned, throwing the rag at his face, earning a chuckle from him.

"Probably the only barrel you've polished." Micah teased as he scooted closer so the others wouldn't hear him. Arthur jabbed his side with his elbow as Micah cackled and winced, pulling back. He slung the strap of the rifle over his back and followed  Hosea and Dutch. They left camp together and packed only the necessities. Arthur climbed onto the back of Silver Dollar and eased himself behind the saddle, letting Hosea do most of the steering. He briefly wondered what else those hands have done. What other parts of Dutch had they felt? Arthur blushed, but was thankful for the slower pace, so nobody noticed.

"You ready to get a horse today?" Dutch looked over his shoulder, causing a grin to widen on his face.

"Hell yes!" Micah ye-hawed and they started to pick up the pace of the horses. Arthur had no idea what kind he'd get, but Hosea told him he'd know exactly which one would be "the one" he'd chose. Maybe he'd let the horse pick him… _maybe._ Arthur was deliriously excited. He'd never had anything to care for, to call his own. They slowly made it across the next town over. It had gotten much colder, but Hosea didn't mind his almost hugging against him to keep warm. He could hear soft chuckles from him from time to time when he hugged him tighter as the temperature dropped. Arthur pressed his cheek against Hosea's shoulder and felt warm contentment billow through him. As the sun hung higher in the sky they descended down back into familiar territory of Blackwater. Arthur sighed and adjusted himself a little, his thighs were sore from riding for hours.

"Alright, let's go." Dutch eased off The Count and helped Micah down. Arthur let himself be pulled down by Hosea as he dropped to his feet and winced a little. The other grinned as they stretched out. Arthur tried not to notice how the fabric of Dutch's white shirt lifted and he could see a soft trail of dark hair along the center of his stomach. He glanced away, forcing himself to look elsewhere. He heard Hosea chuckle and pull down the fabric as Dutch swatted his hand away. Arthur was blushing again, but he couldn't shake the grin forming on his face. Micah almost tackled him as they chased each other across the flatten dry earth as the red dust slowly settled along the road. Arthur grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged him across the ground and tumbled with him. He laughed and laid on the floor in the dust while Micah wiped his own face off, making a copper smear across his cheek.

He sat up and dusted off his jeans, helping Micah up with a grin as they practically ran away from their mentors. Arthur heard a low whinny and stilled, eyeing the horizon when he saw little ears poke up from the grass. He waved a hand at Micah, creeping closer as he hunched low beside him. He couldn't find Dutch or Hosea, but he didn't have time to worry about that now once they saw the herd of different horses. Micah inhaled sharply as he watched a dark bay thoroughbred canter across the plains, followed by three different pinto horses. Arthur had no clue which one to choose. He scanned the herd and saw a Morgan and a Kentucky saddler drop their heads low and start grazing on the grass. Arthur crept closer and saw a pale mare with splashes of tan and brown scattered across her back. She tilted her head and eyed him and whinnied shrilly as Micah darted past her, near a darker horse. Arthur gasped, turned and watched him pull out his lasso and land it perfectly around the steed's neck as it bucked frantically, while Micah shouted and tried to calm it. Arthur grinned, enjoying how his hat flew off and the horse half dragged him through the cactus and Joshua trees. He laughed and glanced back to see the mare was no longer there. He flushed slightly, looking for it, but the field had emptied while the horse tracks led much farther away.

"Easy!" Micah shushed the horse and rubbed the side of his neck, coaxing it to stillness. Arthur looked at the horse's pale blue eyes, almost like Micah's. He looked absolutely wild, much like Micah. Arthur smirked and hunched low, following the horse tracks carefully. He turned and gasped as a grey saddler whinnied and bolted past him. His brows furrowed as he stalked after it. He crept closer, calling it. The horse turned and stood up warily, stomping his hooves noisily against the ground. Arthur made calming noises as he moved closer. He gently pulled out his lasso and flicked his wrist out, tossing the ring at the horse. His breath caught in his throat as the horse darted away, too frightened of him.

"Fuck." He swore under his breath and turned, his eyes locked onto a familiar pair of brown.

_Dutch?_

_Had he been there this whole time?_ Arthur was curious. He saw him nod to the left, causing Arthur to turn and see the mare from before. He stepped cautiously closer and the mare charged at him. He threw out his lasso and gripped it hard. The ground lifted away and he tumbled skyward and grabbed the side of the horse. She dragged him  across the floor as he pulled the rope, easing himself across her back. She snorted deeply and bucked him every which way imaginable. He could feel Dutch's eyes on him. He had to prove himself…he just _had to._

Arthur tensed and leaned a hard right, going the opposite direction the mare jerked him. He winced as she slammed her hooves against the arid terrain. He panted and ran a hand along her flank and mane. She stilled and snorted almost angrily at him. Her ears flicked back as he settled against her back and tied the rope in a makeshift brindle, just as Hosea taught him. He grinned, covered in dirt and who knows what else, looked up at Dutch and beamed. Micah huffed as he pulled at little stickers off his shirt and shoulder as he led his dark horse towards the clearing.

"Nice pick." Micah grinned from ear to ear, rubbing the side of his horse's neck affectionately.

He steered the mare closer towards Dutch as Hosea trotted closer on Silver Dollar and a chuckle across his features.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Dutch pulled closer and led The Count towards them. Arthur felt she needed a great name to represent her hot temperament too. He remembered one of the stories his mother had told him about a Celtic British queen that had led an uprising against the Roman Empire. He knew exactly what to name her…

"Boudicca." he smiled. Dutch nodded and mounted his own horse as they all started towards the horizon. Arthur turned the reins as she jerked against him, still wild; almost like himself. He grinned and fed her a fistful of oats and a carrot. She made a purr noise as she ate them. It was easier to turn her and make her move where he wanted after that.

"Let's go Baylock!" Micah grinned proudly, steering his horse alongside Arthur. He loved the hoof beat noises they all made together. It was entrancing. He absolutely loved it and tapped his heels against her sides, urging her faster. She bolted forward and he laughed, hanging on for the ride as they all followed.

"This is amazing!" Arthur shouted excitedly as they stormed through the red and gold landscape. Arthur could see wild pigs scattering across the left side of the horizon. He aimed and fired, taking two out before the others took aim as well. He hopped off, Boudicca's ears flicked back as she whinnied from the gunshots cracking around them. He skinned them quickly as Hosea ran up and nodded as the stack of fat he pulled off them.

"Here, let me see that." He smirked. Arthur nodded and handed it to him. He pulled out some rounds and started packing the fat into some express rounds and tossed a few to Dutch, who grinned even wider as he thumbed across them.

"What are you doing?" Micah eyed over Hosea's shoulder, eager to see what he was doing.

"Explosive rounds." Dutch answered as he started thumbing the soft material into some rounds too.

"It makes the bullets explode on impact, killing your target instantly." Hosea chuckled as they packed the pelts on the backs of the horses.

"We need to get you both a saddle." Dutch added.

"Okay." Arthur muttered and climbed back onto his mare, petting her affectionately and fed her an apple this time.

"Don't make her overweight." Dutch chuckled. Arthur looked up slightly startled from the comment and nodded, running a brush across her soft hide. They followed each other and Dutch urged them to go hunting.

"Go on…get now." Hosea laughed. Arthur and Micah took off towards the South near the edge of Blackwater.

Dutch turned towards Hosea and nodded towards the southwestern side, on the outskirts of the town.

"Really?" Hosea frowned.

"Come on, we need the supplies." Dutch muttered and urged The Count forward with Silver Dollar in tow.

"A hideout?" Hosea rolled his eyes as Dutch hopped off the white steed and dove towards the bushes. Hosea followed and hunched beside him.

"How do you want to do this?" He eyed him. Dutch couldn't help himself as he leaned forward and kissed him hard, tugging the back of his head close as his fingers tugged slightly into Hosea's pale slicked back hair. He muffled a noise of surprise and pulled back, eyes darkened with desire as Dutch smirked back, drawing out both of his semi-automatic pistols. He was a purist and believed in antiquity, but not when it came to protecting himself and those he held dear. He tugged back the hammers with his thumbs and shot straight through two of the gang member's heads. Hosea flanked right and snapped off a few precise shots with a rifle. They took out them in stride. Dutch turned and shot a couple of them off the top interior wall of Fort Mercer. He charged forward, gripping the ladder as he swung a leg over and tackled another member of the Del Lobo gang. He snapped off an execution shot as the back of the guy's head spattered out a gush of red across his shirt. He shook slightly and looked up and saw Hosea's arm shake slightly as he aimed the high powered rifle and took out the leader with a precise kill.

"Fuck." Dutch whispered as he stepped closer towards him. Bodies scattered across the floor as he strode closer. Dutch ran his tongue across his upper lip, stained red. Hosea met his eyes and visibly shuddered. There was something powerful in them and Dutch sauntered closer, knowing he had his full attention. The blonde stiffened and narrowed his eyes at him as Dutch licked across his teeth and bared at him. Hosea dropped the gun on the floor and yanked him closer and fisted the front of his vest and jerked him hard and close.

"You sure this is what you want?" Hosea snapped angrily at him.

"Fuck." Dutch whined low and shuddered against his hard grip, feeling the hard length at his hip. He snatched the side of Dutch's belt and spun him on his heels and slammed him hard against the table. Dutch inhaled sharply as his dark eyes widened in surprise. Bills of money scattered in the wind around them as Dutch shoved a body off the table and gasped as Hosea yanked his pants down.

"Fuck…fuck." Dutch panted as Hosea slapped across his backside hard, earning a rare shout of surprise and pushed into him hard. Dutch groaned low, biting into his own arm as the older cowboy hilted him across the hard edge of the table. He rocked his hips forward and slammed hard against his prostate dead on.

Dutch moaned loudly. He couldn't stop the gasps slipping from his mouth as his pelvis dug into the wood and Hosea's length drove into him hard and fast, hitting his prostate each time. The sharp sting blended into sharp spikes of pleasure, Dutch lost sight of the difference and it simply was one raw hard feeling.

"Fuck!" Dutch moaned low and gasped, causing Hosea's fingers to dig harder into his hips. Dutch hoped they'd bruise as the tenderness from last night was brought sharply back. He seized up against the table, unable to handle much in the position Hosea had put him in. He felt teeth sink into his shoulder as wet hard noises rang against his ears as broken moans left him. He couldn't get off anymore without the pain. He tensed and Hosea rode him even harder, making him earn each shout. Dutch couldn't tell exactly what noises had left him, but his body was on fire. His heels ached with that familiar burn as he curled inward against the grain and jerked upward as Hosea fucked into him mercilessly. Dutch whimpered as Hosea pressed his entire frame against him, a hand jerking his head back as he wailed and shuddered out as he tensed against him. Hosea gasped against his ear as he rode him into slower harder thrusts as Dutch felt the wind knock out of him as his vision got fuzzy and he wet the table underneath him with his release.

"Fuuuuuuuckkkkk." Dutch moaned low as that warm heat pooled against him; he could feel the tightness pulsing around Hosea's length as he hilted him, staying fully seated until the twitches eased up. His grip loosened and Dutch's head dropped down against the wood and he went pliant against him. Hosea slowly pulled out, hot and sticky. Dutch could feel heat running down his thigh as he shuddered against the table.

"Fuck." He panted and felt Hosea's hands tug at his unkempt clothes. Dutch sighed in relief as the warm fuzzy feeling coursed through him. Hosea's fingers skimmed slowly across Dutch's hand as his fingers sank slowly into his, the gesture seemed more intimate than fucking.

"Are you alright?" Hosea panted softly over him.

"Shut up." Dutch huffed and laid against the table as Hosea adjusted his belt and they both chuckled. Dutch leaned up and winced a little. Hosea laughed at him.

"What the fuck is so funny?" Dutch glared and then realized a bill was stuck to his cheek. He swiped it off and shoved it in his pocket with a scornful glare.

"I wanna do that more often." Dutch wiped the blood off his cheek and took slightly unsteady steps towards the bodies. Hosea grinned and adjusted his hat and dug changed from a pocket of a body on the ground. Dutch figured out quickly what position was his favorite. It took damned near seconds for him to get there. They looted quickly and effectively until there was literally nothing left. Dutch eyed Hosea and grinned, scooting closer and kissing him slow and tender, completely the opposite of what he'd done. He fucking loved Hosea unhinged. He'd never seen him simply lose it like that until now. A part of Dutch was always on fire and he just ignited the same in Hosea, or maybe it was Hosea had done that to him. He cooed against his cheek as Hosea tugged playfully on Dutch's red checkered bandana. He stumbled slightly and chuckled as they walked past some horses and took the saddles with them.

"Dark walnut seems more like Micah." Hosea nodded and handed the russet brown one to Dutch and they carried them across their shoulders. It didn't take long to heard shouts of excitement as the boys ran over to them, the backs of their horses stacked with pelts. Hosea whistled at the amount as they  gathered together as the sun slowly started to stretched across the sky, marring it a soft Tuscan red. Dutch helped Arthur with the saddle as Micah was able to  get his on with a little help. They started back up towards town to sell the pelts. Dutch's mind whirred slightly from what he'd urged out of Hosea. He was always so calm and collected, but unhinged he was a fucking beast. Dutch shuddered at the thought as they made it towards the rooms at the hotel. They'd be able to afford a good room for everyone with all of the new money they'd made at the hideout. The boys seemed content with their haul. It wasn't exactly as much as Dutch would've gathered on a normal hunt, but then he'd go hunting for at least a few days. Dutch turned and looked at Micah and Arthur behind them talking excitedly. He smirked and trailed The Count along the paved roads along West Elizabeth. The cold bit into his shirt, whipping slightly at his hair. He'd given his coat to Arthur and hadn't regretted it. Hosea had done the same for Micah as the boy grinned, swaddled in soft bison fur. He looked a little smug too, causing a chuckle to rise from Hosea. They talked about different hunting techniques along the way as they made it back to the same Inn they'd used months back. Somehow, the same rooms were even available. He slapped a wad of cash on the counter and nodded for the others to follow them. Micah and Arthur hitched the horses and grinned, chasing each other to the rooms. Dutch got smashed against the wall as they squeezed through the narrow hallway. Hosea grinned at him as he was shoved forward against him. Dutch laughed nervously and Hosea winked at him as they separated and followed them.

"You're blushing." Hosea whispered in his ear as he strode forward and Dutch swatted the back of his head as they opened the rooms. Letting down his walls was the best thing he'd ever done. He followed him to their room and checked on Arthur and Micah, getting situated in their own room.

"You know when it's lights out you two." Dutch eyed them and they both nodded, shutting the door behind him.

"I think we should stay for a bit." Hosea spoke as he entered the room and dropped his satchel and belongings across the small table. Dutch eyed him as his dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Hosea turned and unpacked a few items and set them in the drawers. Dutch dropped against the bed and laid back against it with Inferno against his lap. Hosea smirked and started unpacking Dutch's things too.

Arthur crammed Micah's things into the dresser as they searched through the other drawers with grins plastered on their faces.

"You find anything?" Micah tore through a top drawer and grinned, waving a bottle of Tennessee Whiskey at Arthur.

"What?!" He grinned and ran over to him as they both chuckled. Micah uncapped it and chugged a couple shots and winced a little, handing the bottle to Arthur. He grinned and sniffed it, smile widening as he tipped it back and felt the hot rush of liquid heat warm his whole body.

"Shit." He coughed as Micah took it and drank more. Arthur giggled, warmth spreading through him at a fast rate. It felt like all his cares were just fluffy soft against his mind. He wasn't angry or mad at the world. He took it and finished the bottle as they both laid back against the soft cover on the bed.

"Fuck." Micah sighed, his eyes already drooping as he grinned and eased under the covers. Arthur swayed a little, enjoying the new fuzzy feeling. He could see how easy it was to just let drinking become someone's vice. He unbuckled the flap of his satchel and took out his journal and started sketching soft blurry little lines. Nothing was defined, but it felt good to press the graphite to the paper. He thumbed across the paper, smearing the grey just perfectly. Before he knew it, Hosea was leaning towards Dutch as their hats his a secret that only he knew about. Arthur smiled, covering Dutch's hand with Hosea's on the paper. His heart warmed at the thoughts and feelings that were shared between them. He sighed and thumbed the page, admiring his work and closing the book and saw Dutch looking down at him. Heat rushed to his face instantly as he sat up, startled  that he himself was caught. He swallowed thickly and eyed the older man as he smirked and turned the lock on the door and closed it softly as he left. Arthur knew his eyes were probably bloodshot and his features were a bit slack. He was sure Dutch knew he'd been drinking, but he hadn't said anything. He could hear shuffling from their room as the night slowly winded down. He turned and saw Micah was passed out against the pillow; so much for growing up as an outlaw. Arthur grinned and turned on his side and pulled the quilt closer across his hips and hugged the pillow to his cheek. His eyes started to drift as he started to fall asleep until the tiniest of noises woke him.

 _Fuck…_ Unmistakably Dutch's lower voice as Arthur sat up, startled to alertness.

 _Was he in trouble?!_ Arthur eased carefully from the bed as his bare feet padded softly across the floor. Another sound reached his ears that sounded completely like….

 _ahhh…hfff._ Arthur knew instantly there was no danger as softer noises floated in from the corner room. Arthur felt a tingle run through him as he quietly snuck across the room and pressed his ear to the door.

 _harder…_ Dutch's voice again. Then he heard Hosea's pitched moan as something creaked, probably the bed. Arthur shuddered and moved stealthily along the wall and pressed his ear to the wall, finding the best spot to listen. He felt the tightness of his union suit as he adjusted himself a little and closed his eyes, relishing the noises from the neighboring room.

_They were fucking each other….Dutch and Hosea…._

Arthur unsnapped the buttons of his suit and dropped his hand low, gripping himself with a hitched breath, unable to stop himself. He risked a glance and saw Micah still on his side facing away from him, asleep. He'd never done this before but all the jokes and teasing gestures Micah would make kind of helped. He gripped the base and moved his hand slowly up. His skin pulsed against his palm as he shuddered, noises fueling his movements.

 _Ahhh fuck Dutch…_ Hosea groaned, Arthur moved his hand faster as the legs of the bed grinded into the floor. Arthur bit his lip, keeping quiet as his hand moved faster as shudders ran through him. He felt hot all over and then something warm in his abdomen started to warm, almost like he was chasing it. Another gasp, deeper, that was definitely Dutch as his hand thumbed across the tip of himself. A soft breath left him as he braced against the floor, widening his legs and dropping his suit completely off. He crossed his legs and leaned his cheek against the wall, trying to take in as much noise as possible. His back stiffened, goose bumps raising off his skin from the cool air. His palm moved faster as beads of warmth made the movements slicker. Soft pants left him. He kept his breaths shallow to avoid making much noise as another moan, sharper this time burned through his ears.

_Fuckkk!_

Arthur felt that warmth grow, intensifying as he shoved a palm into his mouth and went as fast as his hand could move. The slick noises were something else entirely, almost mirroring the noises he heard. Hosea was clearly driving Dutch _there…_

Arthur tensed, adjusting himself, his ankles sore from pressing too hard against the floor. He leaned harder against the wall, dragging his cheek across it as his hips shook with the effort. He whined softly as the sharp warm tingle ignited inside him, and his vision dotted with rainbow flecks of feeling slightly faint. He shoved the sleeve of his suit and bit down a groan as warm heat streaked against his thigh. He winced and leaned back against the wall as a pitched groan followed by a low moan rang in his ears. They did too. Arthur wheezed through his nose and dropped his hand from his over stimulated skin. He dropped the damp cloth from his mouth and sucked in hushed quick breaths. His thighs shook slightly as he went limp against the wall and leaned his head back, enjoying the buzzed glow that floated through him. He had no idea it felt like that. He'd been wasting time he could've just indulged himself. He figured he didn't have the proper fuel until now. He wiped his leg off with a cloth from the bathroom and laid on the floor. It was so fucking nice. He held it against himself and sighed softly, closing his eyes and drifting off, letting warm darkness take over. He'd never slept so soundly in his entire life.

Dutch nuzzled the warm shoulder against his cheek and hugged Hosea closer, relishing the heat off him. He never expected anything like this to happen to him. Or how often he felt he needed it but Hosea never said no. Maybe one day soon…Dutch ran a hand slowly down his hip and rubbed soft circles against the firmness of his backside. Dutch would make that his too. He doubted he'd have as much reserve as Hosea; god, would he have the patience to be careful? He didn't when Hosea was fucking him across that table and then the bed. He was sore, but he adjusted quickly and loved how it hurt. Now he'd get over stimulated without feeling that soft burn when he used his words to coax the need out of Hosea….along with his patience. He turned and pressed soft kisses against the spots he'd bitten earlier in the heat of passion. Would he ever be able to stop? He smirked against his shoulder and fell into a soft slumber as Hosea's breathing deepened.


	12. Cotarra Springs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Micah do some exploring of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned on this chapter being much bigger, but then I'd never finish it and I knew that another has been long overdue.
> 
> As always, for my Arthur.... You know you love Micah and Dutch. 
> 
> Maybe i need a one shot of Micah/Arthur or Dutch/Arthur, but one where Micah isn't a monster..... XD most of the time.
> 
> I re-edited the chapter and accidentally put up the current chapter I was working on; sorry y'all. In my defense, it was one in the morning...ahem.

Arthur stirred against the floor, wincing a little from the cold seeping into him. He rubbed his face and winced at the light shining through the window. He jumped slightly, seeing Micah look down at him with a massive grin.

"What did YOU do last night?" He gave Arthur a shit-eating grin.

"Nothin' at all." Arthur drawled as he covered himself up nervously. Micah raised a brow as he strode to the tub and started to fill it for him.

"We need to hurry before either  of them show up." Micah answered.

"I'm trying…" Arthur muttered as he pulled himself up and covered himself with a hand before dropping into the tub. Micah eased out of his suit and stepped into the tub with him.

"What are you doing?!" Arthur gasped and gathered bubbles closer to himself and got all flustered.

"Bathin" Micah grinned as he scooped up palmfuls of water and soaped up his fair hair. Arthur blushed as he avoided his face…among other parts of him.

"What's wrong, never seen anyone naked before?" Micah grinned and rinsed off his hair.

"N…not really." Arthur admitted, slowly lathering his own hair with a nervous glance.

"Geeze you're shy." Micah leaned back against the other end of the tub and eyed him.

"I'm…" Arthur blushed and frowned, knowing he didn't have anything to retort and settle for a shrug.

"You know….you look nice." Micah added and casually nodded towards Arthur's lap.

"What?" His brows rose in surprise.

"Anybody you're with will probably be happy." Micah grinned and pulled himself up and sloshed water across the floor as he toweled off completely unashamed. Arthur's face heated up as he looked away.

_He looked nice? What did that even mean?_

He never thought he was anything special, had it beat out of him by the age of eight. He washed in silence as Micah left the bathroom area. He got out quickly and eyed himself in the mirror. Life on the trails had changed him, more so than he'd thought. He was far tanner and his shoulders had widened just enough so he didn't look scrawny anymore. He didn't look too bad, but his hair was almost at his shoulders now. He turned his cheek, eyeing himself and smiling. He pulled on clean clothes and stepped into his boots and made his way to the dresser and gathered his pocket watch and belt. He trailed next door and held out a hand to knock and paused.

 _Were they doing anything? Was he interrupting anything?_ Arthur felt a million questions run through his mind as he paused.

"Jesus." Micah groaned and pushed the door open, annoyed with Arthur's hesitance. He looked up and saw Hosea packing items in his satchel while Dutch was adjusting his own bandana. He wasn't sure what he was expecting; he swallowed thickly and blushed, avoiding their gazes as he leaned near the window, pretending to see something more interesting than what his mind had played out.

"Feel up to getting a haircut?" Dutch ruffled Arthur's hair. He flushed slightly and smirked, eyeing him as his slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Really?" Hosea grinned as he crossed the room and carried out a satchel of supplies. Arthur followed them eagerly. Micah was already on his horse and waiting for them with his hat tipped up.

"Heading to the barber." Arthur nodded at him.

"What?" Micah rose a brow and ran a hand through his own hair.

"Are you gonna get yours cut too?" Arthur asked.

"Maybe." He shrugged and unhitched Baylock whom snorted noisily as he followed The Count and Silver Dollar. Boudicca trotted beside Baylock, seemingly docile for the moment as Arthur patted her neck and fed her oatcakes he'd picked up from the general store from the other day. Baylock and Boudicca were just shy of still being colts, but they were fast. The horses cantered hastily along the soft slopes near the outskirts of Strawberry where the landscape cascaded into long mountain ranges that stretched as far as Arthur could see. He beamed at them, admiring the untamed wilderness; it truly was a beautiful sight to behold.  He led his mare behind Dutch's steed and watched how his posture changed a little, shifted as the balance of his horse did. Arthur mimicked similar movements discreetly behind him, always trying to improve whatever he could in places. He leaned farther back and relaxed his stance a little. Boudicca trotted a little easier as he smirked to himself. She let out a soft neigh and looked over at him with soft chocolate eyes. He murmured kiss noises at her as he ran a brush across her neck and shoulder. It didn't take as long as he'd thought to get to Valentine; a small livestock town  eastward from where they'd come from. The town seemed nice enough, but it seemed more crowded than Arthur preferred. He hitched his mare as Hosea hopped down beside him. Dutch held out a hand and Arthur tried not to grin as he took it. He knew he was a bit old for asking for help, but he never refused any attention Dutch offered.

 _Was he desperate?_ Arthur mentally shrugged and decided he'd rather not know the truth of an answer. He trailed behind Dutch as Hosea led the four of them into the barber shop. It smelled like pomade and mint. He sat and waited beside Dutch on one of the chairs across from the barber's set up. He was curious how Dutch would look after a haircut. What would he choose? He wondered briefly how much better looking could the man really get? He smiled as he stared at his own hands, stealing short little glances at Dutch's when he thought he wasn't paying attention.

"Do you know what you're going to get?" Dutch's deep voice startled him that he'd knocked his leg into his.

"Sorry." He muttered quickly, heat consuming the paleness of his cheeks.

"Kid, don't worry about silly things like that." Dutch chuckled, elbowing his side playfully. Arthur inhaled in surprise and grinned like a fool.

"You really need to take it easy. We're your family now Arthur. We will stay with you…well, until the end I suppose." Dutch went on.

"The end?" Arthur raised a brow in surprise.

"Whatever the end means to you. I've never left Hosea. He's raised me long enough you know?" He looked over at him. Arthur felt heat creep up the back of his neck. He could smell the slightly sweet earthy scent of tobacco from his morning cigar on his breath. Arthur swallowed thickly and looked at Micah as the barber ran a pair of scissors through his platinum hair. Micah went with a combed part on the right with a shaved look that made him seem older. It was a good look for him.

"You're next." Dutch squeezed his shoulder softly, but the act sent a shudder through Arthur as he got up quickly and seated himself in the chair. Goosebumps prickled against his skin as cold water was sprayed across his head and hair. The scissors tickled slightly as they sheared away bits of blonde and brown hair. He wasn't exactly sure what Dutch told the barber, but he trusted him, far more than he probably should, but he did. He could smell the slightly oiled scent of pomade as a comb ran through his hair. He waited patiently and tried to stay still as long as he could until the barber pulled off the drape off his shoulders and shook it off. Arthur turned and looked in the mirror and stared in surprise. He did look very different. He seemed older, a subtle grin warmed across his face as he turned and eyed the group.

"Wow." Hosea grinned, nodding his approval while Micah raised a brow and smirked. He loved at Dutch, he reached over and smoothed out a small section of hair across his the left part.

"Perfect." Dutch tugged on his bandana playfully, causing him to smirk and blush. It was almost too easy to make his face heat up. He was the last one to get a cut. Arthur liked how he looked. Hosea shaved and got a trim, making himself look more clean cut and neat, but only Arthur knew what his inner nature was like, okay, maybe Dutch did too. but he never let that anger get the best of him. Arthur hoped he'd be able to do that one day. He'd stop wearing it like a badge across his sleeve. He was angry at all the unfairness and injustices in the world, granted he had no power to change such things. He'd become lost in thought without realizing it.

It wasn’t until Dutch snapped his fingers that he glanced up and grabbed his satchel. He looked up at him. The sides of his hair were shaved neatly and the top was feathered a little.

"A pompadour fade…really?" Hosea chuckled. Dutch rolled his eyes and grinned. Arthur swallowed thickly. The new look made him seem even more dangerous somehow. Arthur loved it. Dutch palmed a hand through his dark hair and walked out of the saloon while the other three trailed excitedly behind him. They started doing little odd jobs around town, taking carriages to other towns and delivering mail; it was a life Arthur had gotten accustomed to.

Dutch steered The Count along with the others on either side of him. Arthur was always behind Dutch when they traveled. He was always looking over his shoulder, just in case. Hosea haphazardly tossed a letter into a mail box, barely making it. They all chuckled as the horses cantered eagerly across the hillside; somehow sharing their own excitement. Arthur grinned, enjoying the view of Dutch from behind discreetly. He hummed as the soft sunlight cast soft shimmers of white across the blades of grass in the hillside. It slowly faded to copper as the land sloped lower towards the East. Arthur thought he heard movement as he turned his head to the left as they cornered around a rock. He looked up and saw a man holding a gun, swathed in green. Arthur inhaled sharply, drawing his rifle out and cocking it before pulling back the hammer and firing.

"Dutch!" He shouted as the others drew their weapons instantly.

"Get back!" Hosea shouted as Arthur saw the man he shot drop his gun as a stream of bright red came from his chest. Arthur stilled, stunned by how much red actually came out. He'd never killed anyone before. The shock of it made his stomach turn as he was lifted off his horse, not realizing what he was doing. Everything suddenly seemed far away. He saw the ground pull away just enough as he was hugged against someone. He wasn't sure, but the sounds of gunfire rang in his ears. He winced and fired off another shot from his worn cattleman revolver, taking out another gang member, but the job was messy and incomplete. Arthur would be lying if said it wasn't easier. He exhaled shakily and shot a third at the same man until the rest of the bandits had been cleared out by their gang. He flushed slightly as Hosea looked over his shoulder and smiled, but it was subtle.

"You okay Arthur?" He whispered, causing heat to rush to Arthur's face as he nodded. He could feel Hosea's hips were a bit more slim than Dutch's, but it still felt good to touch. He looked down, trying to mentally gather himself. He was feeling too much at once. He sighed and dropped his forehead against the space between Hosea's shoulder blades and sighed. The older man stiffened slightly, but he didn't say anything and just waited as Micah and Dutch looted the bodies. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Micah handing him a fistful of change and a bottle of snake oil. Arthur pocketed it and decided to stay on Hosea's  horse, not trusting himself to steer Boudicca properly. He sighed and started to drift off a little on the back of Hosea's horse. He breathed in his scent off his shoulder as they neared the colder side of the forest, closer towards Strawberry. He smelled like vanilla flowers and smoke, an odd yet tantalizing combination. Arthur hadn't realized he'd dozed off until Hosea was carrying him. He blushed and tried to get free, but Hosea shushed him and judging by the sound, Arthur decided to just stay still and let himself be carried. He tried not to think about how warm and strong his hands were. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the walk back to the hotel. He tried not to think about what he'd done today. Out of the whole little gang Dutch ran, he knew he was the only one that had never killed anyone. Until now. The thought wasn't as awful when he thought about Hosea. Knowing he was gentle, but he also had blood on his hands. It hadn't changed him as much as Arthur thought. Maybe he could be more like that once he got older. He was a decent shot apparently enough to down three men. Eventually he was back in his room at the hotel with Hosea. He wasn't sure where Dutch and Micah had gone to, but he was thankful for the quiet in the room; the opposite of what he felt on the inside.

"You okay?" Hosea ran a hand through Arthur's hair and he let out a soft sigh.

"Not really, I killed someone today." He muttered barely above a whisper.

"It sounds horrible, but it doesn't get easier. If you're anything like me, you'll learn soon enough not to let it consume you." Hosea answered.

"I hope I don't get used to it." Arthur retorted. Hosea let out a soft chuckle as he leaned to the side and pulled off Arthur's boots and set them at the foot of the bed.

"You should bathe, have a good night's rest." Hosea pushed pillows under his head, pampering him just enough to make him feel spoiled.

 _I wonder if he does that to Dutch before they…_ Arthur forced his gaze away from Hosea and looked at the door instead. He briefly wondered if thoughts like that would ever stop.

_Probably not…._

Arthur sat up once Micah and Dutch went through the door with bags of food. Arthur sat up as Dutch sat on the edge of the bed with a smirk and a handful of some kind of bread and mixed herbs with…

"Is that steak?" He grinned. Dutch nodded and handed it to him. The others gathered around the bed and ate while small conversation floated around the room.

Arthur relaxed enough that he wasn't nervous. Things were starting to get easier to do. He was able to carry more when they traveled. He didn't complain about the calluses on his fingers from using his guns. In fact. he enjoyed how they hardened just enough that his fingers wouldn't get tender anymore. He did pay attention enough to see Hosea and Dutch both had similar wear on their own hands. He tried not thinking about their hands again and failed. He was stupid for liking them. He felt like it would never really come to fruition due to the fact that they had already  fallen for each other. Where did Arthur fit into the picture exactly? How would that have even really worked? He tried not to think about it because his feelings would be pretty obvious on his face if he started to ask questions that he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to. He thought better of it. That's how a lot of things went with the gang.

Arthur learned quickly not to ask what he didn't want the answers to.

Weeks spread out into months and months spanned out into years with the gang. He didn't realize how quickly they went.

 

Arthur had grown..a lot as the years went by without much of a care. He started taking more risks as he grew taller, filled out faster than he realized. He couldn't do things like he used to either. Sharing a tent with either of his father figures wasn't really one of them. He knew they needed space for other things, but that didn't mean Arthur couldn't listen. He was either too nervous or smart enough not to pry. Micah had grown too. He was a mean son of bitch when he needed to be; hot-headed and was quick to draw whenever a peculiar person rode by with a mean look in his eye. Arthur learned to shoot first, ask questions later when he needed to. He'd gotten almost as tall as Dutch as he went through his teenage years. It wasn't easy managing the inner turmoil when it came to longing for something he knew he couldn't have so he did what he'd learned to do as a kid; he buried it deep where no one could see it. They'd traveled farther than he ever thought possible. He'd seen towns that were shrouded with drunks and battered people in Van Horn and the bustling, almost congested with a population, in Saint Denis. He wasn't fond of the larger cities, but the people living there seemed far more open-minded than others when they crossed towns like Rhodes. He met different people, but they were all forgettable compared to those he kept close. Dutch was the leader, but Hosea was always the balance between. He helped strategize how they'd accomplish Dutch's plans and provided level-headed insight that Dutch would have otherwise overlooked. Arthur loved running with his new family. They were camping just outside of Saint Denis. Arthur had never seen an alligator before, but Dutch had saved him twice and kept him from getting his leg torn off on more than one occasion. He'd gotten gifts as his birthdays came and went. He still hadn't gotten used to it, from the lack of empathy he'd had when he was growing up with an abusive father. He much preferred this life on the run. He looked up and saw Hosea and Dutch fishing from a small boat as Micah and he helped unpack camp. It was expected of him. Once they finished, Dutch allowed them to go into town and look around. Arthur beamed with excitement that was easily shared with Micah. He loved venturing out and exploring things he hadn't seen before. Just as Micah grabbed his own satchel, he and Arthur ran to their horses and took off for the town. They explored the back alleys and cobbled pathways. the sound of hooves on the stone was so satisfying. Arthur turned and grinned at Micah, walking down to the fence. It was a less obvious place than the other towns they visited too. Micah was always at Arthur's side, ready for anything; whether it was morally good or bad, he was there for him. Some of the things over the years made Arthur question Micah at times, but either Dutch or Hosea talked with him and usually Micah seemed fine after that. Maybe he just needed more from their mentors because of what he'd come from. Arthur sighed as he ran a hand through his dark hair. The top had started to shift to a soft copper blonde as the years under the sun weighed on him. They made their way through Valentine and stopped by the butcher to drop off pelts they didn't need from camp. Arthur had grown slightly taller than Micah, but he wasn't exactly as lean as he was. Arthur could probably hit harder, but what Micah didn't have in strength, he more than made up for in speed. He was quick when he needed to be. They wandered through a few small shops until Micah hopped almost merrily into the gun shop. Micah leaned over the counter and started chatting up the gunsmith as Arthur eyed the shelves, having put away enough money for a decent gun. He needed a new rifle. His bolt action had lived a long life, but it was worn so thin that Arthur was nervous about it backfiring at some point. He bought a Litchfield repeater and a Springfield rifle for the road. He slung each over his shoulders and walked out after handed a heavy stack of bills on the counter. Micah bumped into his shoulder and chuckled lightly.

"What ya do?" Arthur's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Micah just grinned and twirled two Mauser pistols in each hand and walked farther down the road.

"Micah!?" Arthur gasped in disbelief. In retrospect, he really shouldn't have been that surprised as his friend sauntered along with a shit-eating grin. Arthur rolled his eyes as they went to the bar and got drinks; thankfully, the bartender didn’t look twice when he served them. Micah downed his shot of whiskey and clicked his tongue, eyeing Arthur with a grin as he tipped back his head and finished his.

"You know, what do you think we'll do later?" Micah tilted his head and eyed his companion.

"I don't know maybe go fishing or maybe hunt something new?" Arthur ordered another shot and answered.

"No, I mean later when you know, all of us are old enough to be on our own…like completely. If that makes any sense." Micah watched him.

"I don't know I just kind of saw us running with them forever." Arthur shrugged. He honestly hadn't put too much thought into it. He figured he'd stay as long as he was needed. He wondered if there'd ever be a time when he wouldn't be needed. He downed two more shots until his head went a little fuzzy and his mind was numb. It felt nice to just have all that anxiety and feelings just wash and ebb away into nothing.

"Come on!" Micah laughed, pulling him from the bar stool and dancing on the hardwood floor as the pianist played an upbeat tune that had more than a handful of cowboys and women dancing around them. Arthur laughed, watching Micah spin on his heel and rocked his hips side to side, catching attention from both the men and women in the bar. Arthur flushed slightly, surprised that Micah could move that way. The guns on his hips made it seem somehow even better..because Arthur knew how easily he could snap. He had a couple more beers and danced along with him, everyone laughing and happy. It was nice. Micah grabbed Arthur's hands and spun him around and ducked behind him and swayed, his dance moves had shifted a little sloppy from the drink, but Arthur was still laughing. They lost track of time and Arthur stumbled out the back with Micah carrying a fistful of bottle with him.

"They didn't finsihhhh their drinkssss." He rambled, his voice clearly distorted as if his tongue was too thick in his mouth. Arthur turned and grabbed a few and chugged them and climbed on his horse while Micah stood near Baylock, uncertain what to do suddenly. Arthur grabbed his arm and helped him up as they took off into the chilly night.

"Wooooooooo!!!! Yehaaaaawww!!!" Micah shouted at the sky as Arthur laughed ahead of him and led the horses up the mountains and past the Dakota River. Arthur flushed slightly, feeling Micah's hands sink into his hips. He knew Micah probably didn't share his preferences, but he did always wonder what he'd be like. Probably wild at heart. Arthur grinned as his own thoughts swirled around.

"Look out!" Micah huffed and fired off his pistols at a rate that left Arthur reeling. He had no idea how fast he was with them until he dropped off the back of his mare and chased a man in a coat that was a familiar shade of green. Arthur grinned and tugged out his new Litchfield and fired off rounds that dropped more gang members. He knew the law didn't give a shit about what happened to people like him unless they were a farmer or a true citizen. They cleared out the ambush quickly and almost too much delight. Micah laughed as he looted bodies. He looked up at Arthur a grinned. He rolled his eyes and gasped slightly as the blonde turned his head to the side and vomited over one of the O' Driscoll's bodies. Arthur felt a wave of nausea wash over him, but fought it down with a fistful of mint. Micah coughed and sat up and wiped off his chin with the sleeve of his red shirt.

"Damn, you okay?" Arthur looked at him and led his young mare towards him. Micah climbed on and leaned his head against Arthur's back as they kept riding through the moonlit meadow. They made their way up farther North as the moon rose higher in the sky.

A loud explosion startled them both as they glanced up to the left.

"Fuck." Micah gasped and clutched his chest as another geyser exploded out pressurized hot water.

"That's awesome." Arthur muttered as they both ran near the springs.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting in." Micah grinned, tugging off his own clothes as he stumbled near the hot spring. Arthur flushed red as turned around, giving Micah privacy. Arthur unfastened his own shirt and eased out of the rest of his clothes and dipped them in the water, washing them properly with hot water. He inhaled sharply as Micah tugged him arm and pulled him in gently.

"Oh man, this….is nice." Arthur sighed and sank deeper. He leaned beside Micah as the warmth heated up his whole body from the inside out. He figured one day maybe he could show this place to Dutch and Hosea. It was gorgeous. He loved the different shades of color of the hot springs. He was sure it was some kind of chemical reaction that caused the color shift, but he wasn't sure.

"So, anything new you think is going on?" Micah looked over at him. Arthur blushed slightly, surprised with how the moon just lit Micah's pale features up so well.

"W…what?" Arthur was lost in thought.

"In Saint Denis…the guy at the fence….he seemed off to me, like he was hiding something." Micah sighed,

"You want to go check it out tomorrow, don't you?" Arthur sighed.

"Hell yeah I do, he's hiding something. I know because I hide shit all the time and I just have a keen sense that I can just tell when people are hiding something….or lying." He added with a nod. Arthur swallowed thickly and sighed.

"You're not hiding something, are you Arthur?" Micah whispered, somehow so knowingly and it scared Arthur. He really didn't know how he'd react if he told him he liked men, but he decided that it was probably for the best if he didn't.

"So let's go see what he's hiding." Arthur smirked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zaza, your'e so mean to your boys... *sobs*


	13. The Thrill of the Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Micah are supposed to be hunting....
> 
> supposed to be.....
> 
> I don't know why the text won't change. I was desperate to write and only had a 2008 home computer to use. It's fine....I'm fine. It doesn't bother me... *tugs at hair*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame IhaveaGoddamned plan for this and Kimicullen because I was drunk and none of you stopped me. You only encouraged this so I updated the tags. 
> 
> Oh well, you all could see it coming...right??? 
> 
> RIGHT?!!! 
> 
> Guess I'll just wait for the comments you savages...Enjoy. 
> 
> Cough I still need a John for my online posse... Where are you John???? If anyone restarts their character my level 100 Dutch will protect you XD

## Arthur sighed and tipped back the amber bottle to his lips as the horizon started to fade a little. A chuckle brought him back as he turned towards the noise and saw Micah slip off his horse, which has grown tremendously since the last time Arthur admitted he paid any attention. He smirked as a bullet whizzed past his left ear, knowing Micah's aim was shit when he was drunk. He chuckled and eased his mare closer and pulled him up behind on the back of the saddle. He got used to riding double when they were drunk. He never did get over the what if scenario nor the comfort of closeness he'd get whenever members of his posse had been riding behind him, or in front. Did that mean he liked Micah too?

### Entirely possible....He mentally shrugged and just accepted it, because what else was there to do? He steered Boudicca along the worn down trail along the dirt road. He was used to that yearning feeling now. He was able to ignore it, but never forget it. They were supposed to be hunting pronghorn, but he knew Dutch probably saw the bottles of whiskey that Micah was sneaking into their saddlebags and probably knowing his two heathen boys wouldn't be home early by any means.

Micah brushed his forehead against Arthur's shoulder and sighed in contentment. Arthur smirked to himself, enjoying it probably more than he should have, but he grew up fast, mentally more than anything and he wasn't denying his feelings anymore; he just didn't tell anyone or indulge in any of them...He really was just curious.

Except until now....

 “Do you like men?” Arthur blurted out before he could stop himself. Micah retracted, almost instantly, it startled Arthur.

“N...no?” Micah muttered back, but seemed more a question rather than an answer.

“I mean I've only been with guys, if that's what you were asking.” Micah sighed and the click of the bottle against his teeth let Arthur know where his honesty had come from. Inebriation....

“Who?” Arthur whispered, afraid to know the answer, but desperate to understand Micah on a deeper level and he knew the window for such a moment could close almost instantly.

“My father... and other guys.” He sighed, finishing another bottle.

“Why? Why would he do such a thing to his kid?” Arthur huffed mostly to himself.

“I don't know...I guess with long hair I looked a bit more feminine I guess.” Micah slurred every vowel.

"money must've been good." He added.

“You had long hair?” Arthur tilted his head to the side, trying to imagine what he'd look like.

“No way.” He huffed.

Micah laughed harshly and shrugged.

“I used to, I mean it'd be nice to have it flow in the wind like it used to, but I don't...I mean... I can't really enjoy it because of him. It reminds me too much of a time I'd rather forget.”  
 He tossed another bottle against the ground, the shatter was almost a warning to his friend.

“Hey can I have some too?” Arthur swatted Micah playfully on the shoulder. He swayed a little and fumbled with a couple and managed to hand them to Arthur with a grin.

“You're so fucking shitfaced gone cowboy.” Arthur grinned. He didn't want to admit he was asking for the whiskey just so Micah wouldn't drink anymore of it. He finished the bottles quicker than he'd like to admit. Maybe genetic disposition really did play a role with addiction.

“Ahh fuck it.” Arthur muttered and dropped off his mare and he downed several more bottles, much to Micah's utter delight. The look on his face make Arthur spray whiskey off his lip and laugh hard; regretting it an instant later as the sheer burn of hard alcohol stung his mouth. He downed another just to wash the feeling away. He wasn't sure if it was bourbon or gin anymore....

Somehow they ended up along the Mantecca Falls near Tumbleweed and it was so goddamned beautiful. Micah swayed slightly and stared at the glowing sunset and smiled.

“I'll never get tired of seeing that damned sun set....just like this… every night.” Micah whispered. Arthur stood beside him and slipped his hand into his, uncertain as to why, but the fact that Micah hadn't torn his hand back way clearly a good sign.

“Arthur...” Micah muttered, still completely taken by the hard drink they'd indulged in throughout the day.

“Yeah?” Arthur sighed, waiting for the rejection he knew was imminent.

“You have any idea what you are to me?” Micah's tone broke slightly.

Arthur flushed, slightly taken aback by his tone and sudden seriousness.

“I hope so, but I guess not.” Arthur whispered. Micah's fingers tightened around his as he sighed deeply.

“I don't know what love feels like, but I think I might feel what it is when I spend my time with you....Dutch...Hosea even.” Micah exhaled shakily. Arthur smiled and ran his thumb softly along the top of his palm and coaxed his worries with little small circles he hoped would make a difference.

“We need to hff.” Arthur's sentence was cut short when Micah turned and pressed his lips against his. Arthur's world suddenly tilted around him. He wasn't sure if the alcohol or Micah was affecting him. The fact that what he wanted and what he felt was actually being sated in some means was just...phenomenal and breathtaking.

His hands shook slightly as he gently grabbed Micah's shoulders, uncertain where to go or what to do with anything, just knowing everything felt so good.

Until the warm caress of his tongue shaped his. Arthur mumbled something incoherent, but it only sounded like a moan in the arid desert wind. Micah pulled back slowly and eyed him with those arctic eyes that sent a shiver down his spine. He turned and sighed softly as Arthur tried to mentally gather himself and sustain mind from reality as the world continued to spin.

“I don't care what happens to me, but I want you to be happy.” Micah shuddered slightly. Arthur wasn't sure exactly what to make of what he was saying now.

“Why don't we set up camp.” Arthur flushed, too embarrassed by how quickly his body had reacted to his affections. He tried to tilt his hips from view and adjust a spare poncho from the saddlebags, but it was as if Micah's super power was pointing out everything he wanted to hide.

“I'm not fucking stupid cowpoke.” Micah grinned and patted the empty canvas roll beside him; an invitation Arthur simply couldn't resist as he eased himself beside him, draping the woven poncho against the makeshift bed . Micah's arm was draped across his stomach as soft silver clouds rolled by, hiding the illuminating stars scattering across the Western skies. It almost had an enigmatic pull as Arthur stared above at the beyond.

He turned and risked a glance back at Micah and blushed furiously, turning his head back towards the sky until a noise startled him. Micah turned and eased an arm over his shoulder, leaning over him just enough for a whimper to leave Arthur. He closed the distance between them as their lips crashed together again. Arthur moaned against his mouth, intentionally this time, and felt something rigid against his hip as his hands threaded through that soft platinum hair he ached to touch so much.

“Fuck.” Arthur panted between breaths as Micah licked up his neck, causing his hips to rise almost instantly as he whined against him. Fingers dug softly into jean as his pants were slowly tugged down just enough for hot skin to reach his throbbing hardness. Micah's fingers closed around his shaft.

Arthur gasped, almost shouted as those warm digits brought him to full arousal and he was reeling underneath him.

“Fuck, don't stop.” Arthur almost cried out as Micah's fingers stroked him faster. The sensation was almost blinding as his hips rocked with each jerk. He made noises he wasn't proud of, but Micah's startled gasps and sudden increase in pressure and speed made Arthur cry out his name.

“Fuck Arthur...” Micah whispered in his ear. His breath hot and chilling all at once as Arthur bucked underneath him. This must be how Dutch felt with Hosea. Arthur could see how easy it was just to feel that desperate almost ravaging need be sated so goddamned deeply. He found his hand sink deeper into that soft hair and tugging sharply once hot heat engulfed his throbbing hardness.

“FUUUCCCKKKK!!!” Arthur shouted as the sound hitched slightly towards the end, almost a sob, not caring who could hear. He shuddered and whined underneath Micah as he went down on him. He wailed even... at some point until it felt like he was going to explode. His nails dug into soft skin; he wasn't sure where, but Micah didn't stop sucking hard and deep. Arthur was on the verge of tears as he sobbed needlessly under him.

“Micah fuck...God...Fuck.” He cried and pulled harder on his hair until his vision went bright and flashed an almost gold. Micah swallowed slow and long, causing the deepest shudder from Arthur as rainbow dots shimmered across his peripheral vision.  He shuddered and loosened his grip as Micah pulled back slowly with a smirk that could rival the devil.

“I...fuck.” Arthur panted and threaded his hands through Micah's hair and exhaled shakily. Warmth spread throughout his entire body as he felt an unfamiliar twinge of need. Micah's hand slowly eased lower, a single digit pressed firmly between his cheeks until he gasped, parting his thighs wider, eager to know, but nervousness crept into his features as Micah eyed him.

“You can tell me if you want to stop,” Micah huffed, seemingly as winded as Arthur. He could feel the warm press of his cock against his thigh and Arthur arched his hips harder, eager to let him know he never wanted to stop. He hadn't quite realized the sheen of moisture on Micah's lips was his own release.

“Oh Goddammit.” He whined as Micah's fingers sank deeper than anything he'd ever thought possible. Arthur was gasping and writhing underneath him in seconds. He was desperate, but Micah didn't stop, knowing he needed it just as badly.

“Jesus Arthur...You're so beautiful.” Micah whispered as he slowly widened his fingers, bringing the teenager underneath him to a sputtering mess. He huffed and grinned, but then his pale lips widened in surprise as Arthur rocked his hips down once more, seeking a deeper pressure without needing to ask. Micah adjusted himself just enough and gripped himself and rubbed the tip against Arthur's almost pulsing tightness.

“Just breathe deep and take it slow.” Micah purred low, the tone of his voice sounding like velvet on Arthur's ears. He nodded and ran a shaking palm up Micah's forearm, accepting what was happening between them effortlessly. He rolled his hips against him, the warm skin was so enticing as Arthur swallowed thickly and nodded. He needed to feel...

Micah leaned forward and then the pain ebbed slowly into him. Arthur winced and shuddered underneath Micah as he gripped his shaft with an unforgivable force. He jerked upward hard as he felt his insides widen. Hot heat pushed into him; tears ran down his cheeks, but the hard pulls of Micah's hand on his shaft was almost as sharp. He knew exactly what the fuck he was doing. Arthur mewled and gasped as he slowly entered him with a slow drawn out measure. Arthur whined, actually wanting more and he fucking delivered as he slowly rolled his hips inches deep as he gasped under him.

“Fuck..so good.” Arthur gasped as his hand on his cock slowed to tighter movements. His brows lifted upward in an almost plea. He almost screamed from the intensity of it. His nails dug into Micah's thighs, not from pain but the absolute desperate need to simply fucking feel....

“Come on.” Arthur urged him closer, eager to feel, but the tentative sting of pain was still there, but it was offset by the deep pulls of pleasure from his hands. He whined and then Micah pushed forward slowly, panting in his ear as he slowly hilted him. The warm press of skin against skin made Arthur feel so fucking alive. He gasped as Micah moved slowly, feeling out his soft pulsing insides. Micah gripped the back of his neck and kissed him hard, all tongue and teeth. Arthur groaned against his tongue and bit down, causing a muffled gasp from the cowboy above him.

“Mff..uckkk.” Arthur gasped and grinded against him. Micah grabbed his hip with his free hand while the other never left his shaft. Making sure the pain didn't outweigh the plasure. Arthur tensed slightly and shouted. The untrained ear could've seen it as pain, but Micah fucking knew Arthur Morgan enough that was the exact opposite. He angled his hips upward, both hands resting on his hips now. Arthur winced slightly and shouted as he moved sharply upward and fuck...he hit something so sharp and powerful that Arthur almost screamed. The pleasure and shock of it was almost blinding. He had no idea what it was, but fuck...he was fucking it and Arthur jerked underneath him and dug his nails into Micah's thighs almost desperately as a soft chuckle turned into a shocked groan and he was fucking moving. Arthur didn't care how much pain the morning brought if it was worth this much pleasure now.

“Fuck me Micah.” Arthur gasped underneath him. His palms gripped Micah's forearms hard enough to bruise and he fucked into him faster. Arthur felt sharper pangs of pleasure shock through him, like he was grabbing at lighting. He bucked and swore underneath him. He had no idea what he was saying until Micah growled in his ear and his knees were draped over his shoulders and his bearings were stripped away by his own voice, gone hoarse from shouting so much. He grabbed at the frayed fabric of his faded red shirt, hung open and stitches ripping as he practically fought him. Moans and shouts being the only vocal sign he needed this as badly as Micah did. His sleeves were almost shredded as Micah bucked faster into him. Arthur felt the burn as he pulled back, but then the sharp shock of pleasure overtook him; desperate to feel both and he lost the sense of distinction...unable to tell the difference between pain and pleasure as he moved in tandem with him. Micah gasped in his ear as Arthur's world darkened around him and flourished a shimmery white. It was almost like passing out, but the shock of pleasure kept him grounded as white thick ropes sputtered against his stomach and his eyes rolled back and he cried out. He could feel the sharp hard pulses of his own body as Micah gasped in response to it and rolled his hips forward, slow and deep. Arthur could feel him shuddering and pulsing inside him. Oh fuck.... He came too. Arthur whined a pitched sigh as Micah pressed into him fully and shuddered. He sank his fingers into his hair softly as his lips connected against his languid and slow.

Arthur's eyes rolled slightly as he panted underneath him. He almost shouted at the over stimulation when Micah jerked him off slowly. He didn't feel it was necessary until Micah slowly pulled out and the soft ebbing burn came back. It was almost a relief as he pulled out, but Arthur enjoyed every second of it.

“Fuck..” Arthur panted softly.

“I think...that was you're first time...wasn't it?” Micah sighed softly as he straightened his hair with the very same pomade he used to coax Arthur wide open.

“I umm no.” Arthur lied, hoping it wouldn't change anything.

“You're a bad liar Morgan, and by the way you reacted...well, yeah.. I'm pretty sure it was.” Micah purred back. Arthur's face was burning red.

“I...” He couldn't think of a retort.

“You're honest and it's breathtaking.” Micah whispered in his ear as he bit down softly on the lobe of his ear, earning another shudder.

“Everything you say and do is genuine and that's unbelievably hard to find.” Micah eased beside him, running a hand up his hip slowly as Arthur's eyelids had started to feel heavy. He felt the semi-soft comfort of the canvas roll against his bare hips and he turned on his side as Micah covered him with the bed roll and hugged him. Arthur had desperately wanted warmth and buried his face into Micah's shoulder and gave into the soft luxurious pull of sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, lay it one me....My Arthur is on vacation and this..just happened. I intended for this to be a one-shot side piece but a few out you decided for me that it simply needs to be part of it. 
> 
> I just need to make a massive orgy story with all of them don't I???? 
> 
> *drinks beer and cracks knuckles*

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this new fic. I'm tempted to add the others when they are young, what do you think? I added tags just to be safe. I've been wanting to write a younger pairing of Arthur since I found that picture in the game. Do any of you guys play online? Let me know! :D


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